


Sebastian's Time in Portia

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: NaNoWriMo [14]
Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game), Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Dolly (My Time At Porita) Is Evil, Gale (My Time At Portia) & Robin (Stardew Valley) Are Siblings, Gen, Mint (My Time At Portia) & Sebastian (Stardew Valley) Are Same Character, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2019, One-Sided Abigail/Sebastian (Stardew Valley), One-Sided Emily (My Time At Portia)/Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Pregnancy Scares, Robin (Stardew Valley)'s Portia Workshop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: A certain incident makes it hard for Sebastian to stay in Pelican Town due to the fact everyone including his mother and sister made assumptions rather than listening to his side. Surprisingly, Demetrius is on his side, yet tries helping Sebastian get away from his mother for awhile. Except, Sebastian doesn't want to be in Portia anymore than he wants to be in Stardew Valley.
Relationships: Arlo & Mint (My Time At Portia), Arlo (My Time At Portia) & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Demetrius & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Gale & Mint (My Time At Portia), Gale (My Time At Portia) & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Sam & Sebastian (Stardew Valley)
Series: NaNoWriMo [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810801
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9
Collections: (World) Time in Portia/Stardew Valley, MinorFandomFest, Platonic Relationships





	1. Prologue Days – Doing the Right Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer – I don't own Stardew Valley or My Time in Portia. This is one of my four NaNoWriMo projects for 2019, so I aim to write at least 12,500 for this story this month.
> 
> Note – I don't wish to spoil things for readers, so I will be including a few notes towards the end of certain chapters explaining my thought process. I also wish to warn regarding my interpretation of Sebastian and Abigail's relationship in that I felt her behavior regarding Sebastian was obsessive at times if not stalkerish. Some in Pelican town think they're already an item, but others think like Sam and Maru that Sebastian is shy regarding his feelings for Abigail. More importantly, when Abigail marries the farmer, her obsession gravitates from Sebastian to the farmer, so when he says his only friend in town is Sam, he's not referring to the fact he lost Abigail as a friend, but instead lost the farmer as a friend.

Winter was ending.

Downstairs in the basement a chill from the thawing snow outside of his mother's house left a residual feeling of winter which Sebastian found himself eating up. His dark eyes opened and closed right before he breathed on a cup of hot coffee he'd prepared for himself. In fact, his eyes drooped as sleep tried taking over.

His latest programming project floated on the computer screen while he delighted in finishing the work and the fact he'd earned his keep - not that anyone else in the family would be aware of his sucess. His family practically ignored the fact he actually did work from his basement, but both his mother and Abigail barged in at the worst times.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs drew Sebastian's up while his eyes blinked back the cloud of sleep. A frown twisted onto his lips while he contemplated who the footsteps belonged to. His mother never came down so fast, but today wasn't the eleventh or twenty fifth of the month - the day Abigail normally came and pestered him against his wishes.

"Sebastian!" Maru's voice made Sebastian open and close his eyes in confusion. Maru never came downstairs, but his mind flickered too the many times she complained about his room; the words indicated she never wanted to venture into his personal territory. Yet, here she was.

"You're an idiot!"

Sebastian reached a hand behind his neck, rubbing the tension out as he sat up straight. He attempted clearing his throat, fully intending on asking Maru what she meant by her accusation; in fact, he wondered what he'd done now to make his half-sister lash out at him to the point she ventured downstairs.

"You could have at least used protection!"

His dark eyes blinked, his mind struggling to make out Maru's features in the dark, yet he definitely thought he discerned anger in her voice. "W-what?"

"You got Abigail pregnant!"

Sebastian's eyes blinked while his jaw went slightly slack. His mind attempted fathoming what Maru just said, yet her words seemed unreal. Him getting Abigail pregnant didn't seem a possible part of his reality, yet here his own sister - half-sister - was railing on him for getting her pregnant. "Huh?"

"Sebastian!" Maru stormed over, letting Sebastian see her hands forming fists at her sides. She lowered her face down so she was right in his, forcing him back slightly. "This! This is serious! Abigail is pregnant with your child!"

"How…" He wanted to ask how _that_ was possible. Instead…

"How do I know? It's kind of hard for me _not_ to know when I work at the clinic! I ended up over hearing Abigail screaming at Harvey that she can't possibly be pregnant, but that she doesn't want to wait to figure things out!"

"Yes, but…"

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare make excuses for yourself!"

Sebastian felt a shudder run down his spine. Maru was too close, but he could see the tears of anger in her eyes. Rarely, if ever did he see her temper rear like their mother's did, yet in the back of his mind he didn't want to see how Robin would in fact react to the situation.

Maru pulled away before hurrying up the stairs. The door slammed on her way out, and yet something told him the end of the conversation wouldn't be the end of the situation. The dread of going out and socializing was others - that was already a painful experience, yet the experience could only get worse.

The dread only worsened when he heard another set of footsteps on the stairs, yet this time he recognized who was coming down. His entire body tensed, knowing full well the other female in his family would lay into him. His eyes closed, hating when his mother lost her temper with him.

His eyes opened upon hearing the door open. He watched his mother step over and look him in the eye, yet she remained silent. The silent felt worse; his eyes drifted away so he wouldn't make eye contact. "I…"

"Sebastian, I don't want to hear it." The monotone sound in Robin's voice made Sebastian look up. The look in her eyes made him swallow. "We'll talk about this later when I'm not so inclined to yell at you."

"But…"

"No." Robin held up her hands before turning and heading up the stairs. "Not right now."

~SP~

Not right now started feeling like not ever.

The fact he rarely ventured from the room didn't help, but he started feeling as if Robin was avoiding him. He didn't try talking to Demetrius, the last thing he needed was yet another argument with the step-father he looked nothing like. Every so often Demetrius glanced up from his newspaper, yet he said nothing.

Sebastian finally found himself retreating to his and Sam's Saturday jam session in hopes of some relief with the stress he felt regarding the situation. As he walked towards Sam's place, he felt as if he let out more sighs than he usually did on the long walk; he wanted to say something in his own defense, yet so far he was unable to.

His hands jammed into his pocket, yet his eyes didn't look up out of fear of running into anyone _but_ Sam.

"Yo! Seb!" Hearing his overly cheerful friend's voice made Sebastian look up at his friend. He tried putting a smile on his face. "You're running…"

"What?" Sebastian's eyes blinked.

"You're smiling. That's just as weird as you running late for our jam session."

"Sorry." Sebastian's voice was almost a whisper. As he glanced down, he saw one of Sam's eyebrow's shoot up.

"Anyways, let's head inside. We can still get a snack before we start."

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders before following Sam into the house which was much smaller than the one his mother Robin built. He felt as if his hands sunk deeper into his pockets as he stepped into the house. He made the mistake of looking up into the kitchen area and saw Sam's mother as his friend headed into the kitchen to get them snacks.

Jody stood in the kitchen as her coppery brown hair fell in front of her eyes. Despite this, the look on her face reminded him too much of the look he'd seen on his own mother's face. He felt his chest tighten, but his shoulder blades tensed up. Sam noticed; his usual smile left his face while one hand brushed away a lock of blond hair from his forehead.

"Mom, why are you looking at Sebastian like that?"

Sebastian heard Jody clear her throat. Her eyes didn't leave him for one minute. "Didn't Sebastian tell you Abigail is pregnant?"

He felt his blood run cold. He felt terror as Jody looked him in the eye. Sam's blue eyes blinked, then his jaw dropped. He turned and looked at Sebastian, his mouth opening and closing before he turned and looked at his mother. The shock was evident, yet Sebastian couldn't handle standing their.

He quickly turned, heading for home. Over his shoulder, he could hear Sam call out after him. "Seb. Wait."

~SP~

" _Do you want to talk?_ "

The message from Sam now sat in an open e-mail unanswered, yet Sebastian didn't want to talk. He didn't even want to tell Sam, " _no_ " despite the fact all it took was hitting two keys on the keyboard and pushing the send button. Something so easy didn't feel easy.

Instead, he lay on his bed looking at the ceiling wishing the problem would go away, yet the words which might solve the problem remained stuck on his tongue, feeling heavy. His fingers twisted into the sheets as he lay on top of the bed, his frustration at his situation and lack of voice growing.

He heard footsteps on the stairs, yet knew from the speed in the rythm of steps that the person wasn't his mother. His eyes closed, not wanting to talk to Maru, knowing full well the _talk_ would simply be her yelling at him and him not getting a word in. His eyes tightened upon hearing the door open.

"Sebastian?" The sound of Abigail's voice made Sebastian's eyes snap open.

He swallowed, turning his head to look towards the doorway. He hoped his tone of voice would make her turn and leave. "What?"

"Can we talk?"

Sebastian let out a deep breath. He sat up in bed, looking down in his hands. She was the last person he wanted to talk to. In the faint light, he saw his hand twitch slightly, involontarily. Abigail took his silence as permission to approach; Sebastian tensed up upon hearing her stepping over to his bed.

"What are we going to do?"

Sebastian's brow furrowed. His fingers tightened around the bedsheets again. "What…" He couldn't help but feel angry. "… do you mean by ' _what are we going to do_ '?"

"Everyone thinks you'll ask me to marry you, because it's the right thing."

"The right thing?" Sebastian felt like he was choking on his own words. He moved so his legs swung off the bed so he could face Abigail. "I'm not the father. So how is me marrying you the right thing?"

"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't rejected me!"

"You…" Sebastian closed his eyes tightly. "Did you just blame me for you going off and having sex with - I don't even know who!" His hand swung out, his eyes opening up as he looked Abigail in the eye. "Are you kidding me?" Sebastian took a deep breath. "Get out. Get out of my room."

"But…"

"Leave!" He heard Abigail move towards the door, but didn't relax until he heard the door close. He flopped down onto the bed and took a deep breath.

The feeling of relief didn't last long. He heard yet another set of footsteps. His eyes clamped shut long before his door slammed open. "Sebastian. What did you do?"

"Maru…" He tried remaining calm with his younger sister, but…

"You made Abigail cry! Why do you have to be such an idiot! I wish I wasn't related to you right now."

Sebastian opened his eyes. Maru was already turning towards the door. His attempt to speak was interupted by the door of his room slamming; Sebastian couldn't help but wince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note – Where did the idea for the pregnancy scare come from? When Abigail is in the clinic, she has a line regarding the fact she isn't pregnant and just sick. However, if she did end up pregnant – everyone would automatically assume the father is Sebastian.


	2. Day Zero – Collapsing World

Things certainly weren't going his way.

He found himself looking over his shoulder every single time he stepped out of the basement. Mentally, he felt as if he were breaking despite his best efforts to keep his sanity; he knew not confronting the current nightmare of his life wasn't helping the situation of him becoming more and more on edge as time passed.

The fact he was missing the last days of winter honestly didn't help his situation, but he hoped the whole thing would blow over.

Instead, Maru blew into his room yet again while he lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling contemplating even darker thoughts regarding life than usual. "The fact Abigail isn't pregnant doesn't mean you're not a lousy brother, not to mention a major jerk."

Sebastian sat up, his mouth dropping. He didn't think things would get any worse - could get any worse. Yet again, Maru was gone before he could say anything. His entire body trembled, but this time he followed her upstairs. "Hold on."

"I _don't_ want to speak with you!"

"You…" Sebastian could feel his own frustration growing, but Maru turned partway on the stairs with something else to say.

"You had your chance to speak!" Maru turned and hurried up towards the upstairs part of the house.

Sebastian followed, forgetting for a few brief moments he was attempting to avoid the nightmare. "Hold on."

"Sebastian…"

The sound of his mother's voice made him turn and looked at Robin. She stood at the counter of her carpentry shop, her red locks of hair cascading in her face. She looked tired, yet Sebastian couldn't help but cringe; he recognized the tone she used when she was far from pleased with him. He hated when she became displeased with him.

"Mom." Sebastian swallowed.

"Don't. I don't want to hear an argument about why you didn't do the right thing."

He swallowed again. A quick glance at Maru's retreating back resulted in him seeing her glare over her shoulder. He couldn't take anymore and hurried back down the stairs. He quickly sat down on the couch near where he set up his computers. He pulled his feet up and buried his face.

"Great. She hates me - they hate me more than before."

Saying the words out loud didn't help how he felt; in some ways, he felt worse. One hand reached up and tangled in his hair, twisting slightly. He bit down on his lip lightly, wishing for the nightmare to go away. His eyes closed; he wanted to hide away forever rather than face the world.

Eventually, his empty stomach got the better of him. He extracted himself from the seat and checked the time, telling himself nobody else would be up that late. He shuffled his feet towards the kitchen, thinking he'd quickly snatch something and retreat back to his room without anyone noticing.

He wasn't expecting Demetrius sitting at the table waiting for him. His step-father read the newspaper in front of him, making him think he could walk away. He turned, not expecting to hear Demetrius tell him to sit. He froze, turning to look at the man. "Let me guess. You're going to finally lecture me as well?"

Demetrius closed the newspaper and set it down on the table on top of a piece of paper.

"Are you hungry?" Demetrius stood up and headed to the fridge, pulling out a plate of spaghetti.

"I…" Sebastian watched Demetrius pull the plastic wrap away from the plate before placing it into the microwave. "What?"

Demetrius punched the buttons and son the microwave roared to life. He stood in front of the microwave, yet didn't turn to look Sebastian in the eye. "Please sit."

"I could just…" Sebastian's stomach grumbled.

"Go down to your room to avoid talking to me? I'd follow you down the stairs, but I know where Robin keeps her tools. I also know how to use them."

"That…"

"I'm going to make sure you eat something whether you like it or not."

"Fine." Sebastian shoved one hand into his pocket before sitting down in the kitchen chair. His eyes drifted towards the ground. Soon, the plate of warmed up spaghetti was in front of him, but a can of Joja Cola. Despite his stomach's protests, he didn't eat anything. He swallowed upon hearing Demetrius sit back down.

"I'm going to ask you what nobody else bothered asking you." Demetrius remained calm, yet Sebastian felt like bolting. "Are you the father of Abigail's child?"

Sebastian's head darted up and looked Demetrius in the eye. "Didn't you hear? Abigail's not actually pregnant."

"Don't raise your voice. You might wake your mother."

"I didn't…"

"Do you _really_ want to deal with your mother right now?"

"I." Sebastian swallowed, glancing down at the table. He couldn't look his step-father in the eye; he felt as if he had no place to run. "No. I don't."

"I'm going to ask again. Are you the father of Abigail's child?"

Sebastian felt his throat tighten. "Why… what…" He stood up, almost knocking the can of Joja Cola over. "You're just like everyone else, assuming…"

"Assuming?" One of Demetrius' eyebrows shot up. "Good."

"Good? How are people assuming…" Sebastian's throat remained tight, yet a thought crossed his mind. He shook his head in disbelief; he struggled with believing _that_ possible. "How…"

"How did I know you weren't the father of Abigail's child?" Demetrius let out a deep sigh. "Sebastian, I know you better than you think."

"You." Sebastian sat down, his eyes closing. " _How_? Everyone else…"

"Hold on a sec." Demetrius sat down and pulled the piece of paper out from underneath the newspaper. "Here."

Sebastian looked at the paper Demetrius pushed towards him. "What is that?"

"It's a job."

His soul felt heavy, almost betrayed, yet he almost felt he should expect it given the fact this was his step-father. He felt bitter; it likely showed in his tone of voice. "You want to get rid of me."

"No. No. It's…" Demetrius spoke quicker, almost as if he wanted to get the point in before the conversation between him and Sebastian blew up like it usually did. "A few weeks. The job is only for a few weeks."

Sebastian's eyes drifted towards the paper; he couldn't help but worry his lip. In fact, he couldn't help but not say anything, his discomfort getting the better of him.

"Sebastian, this actually isn't what I want."

"You're always getting on my case."

"Because I think…"

"I've never cared what you thought about me." Sebastian focused his attention on his pale fingers rather than the piece of paper.

"That…" Demetrius took a deep breath. "Have you worked on any projects since Harvey got sent the wrong test results."

Sebastian found his head moving up so he might look his step-father in the eye. " _That's_ what happened? That…"

"Sebastian - focus."

"Yeah, but…" Sebastian watched the paper slide closer while Demetrius' finger remained a stark contrast against the white paper.

"I asked you if you did any work. Just be honest with me for once."

In the back of his mind, he questioned whether Demetrius was ever honest with him. The answer Sebastian kept coming back to was - yes. Demetrius never held back letting his step-son know his disappointment regarding his life choices.

His step-father asked whether or not Sebastian had ever been honest with him, yet the nasty feeling settled in his stomach that he hadn't. His eyes closed. "I don't lie."

He heard a sigh and opened his mouth so he might look the man in the eye. "Sebastian, that's not what I meant? I mean, I don't want you to hold back from telling me something. In this case, I just want you to be honest regarding your current work situation. If you don't have anything lined up, would it hurt to take on this job? It would get you away from your mother for a couple of weeks."

"And?" Sebastian tried giving Demetrius a nasty look for butting in, yet his lip trembled ever so briefly revealing how insecure he felt at the moment.

"You know she needs time to calm down before you and she can talk this over. Plus…" Demetrius glanced down at the paper he wanted Sebastian to take. "I'm worried you're having another mental break down."

Sebastian felt his facial features falter. He'd thought nothing would ever shock him just like he'd thought he'd never laugh or smile again. "What?"

The look of worry on Demetrius' face honestly scared him, but what his step-father said next sent chills down his spine. "I guess this is as good of a time to ask if you were making sure to take your medication. Are you sure you didn't lose a day, given what's going on?"

"W…" Sebastian felt anger, yet the frustration and shock prevented him from yelling at the man. "The only person who knows is Sam."

Another sigh escaped from between Demetrius' lips. "Look, I guess it is my turn, to be honest with you."

He wanted to scream at Demetrius. " _I knew it! I knew you've never been honest with me!_ " Instead, he found himself staring at the man, shocked yet again. Demetrius actually admitted something. Instead, he found himself staring at shock at the man wondering what exactly the man wanted to be honest with him about.

"Actually, Sebastian, I've already hinted at this as I mentioned the fact I'm worried about you having another mental breakdown. It was when you were sixteen."

" _No. He can't know._ "

"You don't think I didn't ask around to find out why you didn't come home right away that summer?"

"It wasn't any of your business!" Sebastian didn't yell. He simply snapped at Demetrius. Yet, he felt bad. Was it guilt from snapping, or guilt for messing up.

"I know. I'm not your dad."

"He'd better not have been the one to have told you!" This time he yelled. He froze, looking over his shoulder to the room where his mother would be sleeping. He knows stood up, fear riveting his thin frame.

"Your mother wouldn't think any less of you if she knew." Demetrius' words made him turn, but he wanted to give the man a look threatening - something, anything - if he… "I've not told her. I won't unless I absolutely have to. I still think you should tell her. Not now of course, but eventually. Eventually, she needs to know."

"I…" Sebastian felt his throat tighten. "Sam doesn't even know."

"I know." Demetrius lowered his voice but glanced up as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. "Sebastian, I don't want you to end up in the mental hospital again. Actually…" Sebastian looked down, the honestly being what he wanted from his step-father of all people. "… I don't want you to go away. Not when I think your mom and I could have prevented the whole mess if we'd not sent you away."

"Yet…" Sebastian looked at the paper which Demetrius pushed even closer.

"I worry that asking you to stay would be what will send you to the breaking point this time. I want to do right by you."

"Why? I'm not…" His eyes closed.

"You may not be biologically mine, and I'm not wanting to replace your dad. Ever. That doesn't mean you're not my kid."

Sebastian's eyes opened. He decided it was his turn, to be honest. "I've not taken on any more jobs since…" He paused, then changed up what he intended to say. "At least I'd finished any jobs. I couldn't…"

"I know. Please. Do what's right for you Sebastian."

Hesitantly, he reached for the paper but then hesitated completely. "Wait. Are you going behind mom's back?"

"Yes. I am. I don't care if she kicks me out for this."

"Yeah. I doubt she'd be thrilled with me running away."

"Sebastian, you're not running away from your responsibilities. That's not you."

"I'm still running away from the situation. That - that I'd say is definitely me." Sebastian finally took the paper. His eyes widened. "Wait. Portia? This job is in Portia?"

"Yeah. I'd arranged for Willy to take you out of here, but if you don't want to do this I'll apologize and say I went behind your back. Still…"

A deep sigh left Sebastian's lungs. "Yeah. I can't deal with mom right now. It doesn't feel like I have a choice. Then again, I never have felt that way."

"Maybe this will let you feel like you've gotten that back."


	3. Day One – March 1 – Familiarity

" _I feel like I'm running away. Actually, I feel as if I'm always running away from things._ "

Sebastian opened his dark eyes. The bright sun in the blue, cloudless sky above beat down mercilessly. His cheeks stung slightly from the sun and the ocean breeze. Glancing down at his messenger bag, he slid his hand in and retrieved his phone. He flipped the phone open, remembering Sam's message. " _Do you want to talk?_ "

He remembered telling himself last night after midnight was too late at night to contact Sam and let him know what was going on. He'd slipped the phone into the messenger bag he'd not used in a long time along with his laptop before shutting down his computer rig and packing some clothes into a duffel bag.

"You won't get a signal out here."

Sebastian glanced up at Willy. His mind pondered what he should say, particularly when this man was, in fact, helping him out. The fact he felt like choosing between dealing with Robin's anger and taking on the job Demetrius got him wasn't a real choice didn't change the fact Willy was helping him out.

"You should drink some water."

"Yeah…" He wanted to say thank you, yet the words wouldn't leave the tip of his tongue. His hand slipped into the bag of snacks and drinks Demetrius shoved into his hand before insisting on walking him down to the pier. Sebastian's mouth twisted slightly, his mind remembering how the night sky and the ocean breeze which normally calmed him did nothing that night.

He felt guilty.

The water, however, tasted good, but Willy thankfully didn't mind the fact Sebastian wasn't much of a conversation person. Instead, Willy every so often would spout off some nautical or fishing fact Sebastian really couldn't be bothered with. He glanced ever so often out at the sea, knowing full well…

"We'll be coming into port soon. Sorry I couldn't take you farther than this."

"No. Demetrius gave me very clear instructions regarding how I should get to where I'm going." Sebastian watched the shore as Willy brought his boat in, but then a thought crossed his mind. He wanted to say something.

"Don't worry. I don't talk much with your mother anyways, but my trip will be a few weeks. Since I'll be done with my fishing trip by that time, I can actually pick you up."

"Yeah." Sebastian tried smiling, yet failed. "T-t…" He glanced away. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He didn't say goodbye when he disembarked; in the back of his mind, he berated himself for not getting normal social skills right. He hoisted up the messenger and duffel bags over his shoulder while the plastic bag Demetrius gave him hung from one hand. With the other, he removed the paper Demetrius put the instructions on getting to Portia on his own.

"I used to take the bus all the way." Sebastian's eyes blinked, realizing he'd said the words out loud. He shook his head and instead focused on the instructions on how he might arrive at the bus stop, but in his pocket was the money he'd need for fair. Purchasing the ticket was easy, but there was a slight wait for the next bus.

He pulled out his phone again only to hesitate.

He still felt guilty.

He also didn't feel like he had the emotional energy to communicate with Sam what was going on, not to mention the fact Sam would likely want more words than Sebastian could muster over the phone. Plus, he wasn't sure what he should text Sam which wouldn't make him feel like a complete idiot.

"Ugh," Sebastian remembered feeling like a complete idiot in front of Sam and his mother the other day, yet he'd panicked thinking even Sam wouldn't believe him if he'd said anything. The fear of that remained, yet he also feared admitting he'd felt - still felt that way. The bus arriving answered the dilemma for him.

The phone snapped closed again and he boarded the bus. He took a deep breath after sitting down but picked out a few snacks to fill his stomach as needed. He felt alone.

He felt alone, a feeling he'd not thought much about as he'd never minded being alone.

"Shit." The sound of someone reacting to his outburst made him open his eyes. An older woman looked at him; he held up his hands and muttered an apology. His eyes darted to the side while the corner of his mouth twitched. Not a single day had passed; he was in yet another uncomfortable social situation. " _How many more will I be in before this is done?_ "

It was a choice between two discomforts; there was the discomfort of dealing with his mother and her temper, but also the discomfort of interacting with others socially. He kept his head low the rest of the bus ride.

When he got off the bus, his eyes widened slightly. His mood lightened slightly at the familiarity of the spot, but he didn't need Demetrius' instructions on how to get from the bus stop to the pier. He found himself waiting for the boat from Portia to arrive, yet the wait felt quite familiar.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about missing the boat to Portia. Instead, the worry was that the person in charge of the boat which traveled between this particular pier and Portia would be out on a trip picking up a passenger from another city which was within a day's travel.

He stood watching the port attendant wondering if the call they made would go unanswered which in turn would mean he would need to call ahead to the mayor and let them know he would be late for his appointment. Again, his mind drew to contacting Sam, yet the same worries cropped up.

"The boat captain will be here in a few hours."

"Okay." Sebastian sat down in the shade which in turn meant his mind was focused yet again on calling Sam. " _I've no energy to deal with his - energy._ " No response was not a good idea. He finally decided to text Sam with, " _I'm okay._ "

Awhile later… " _I'm glad. Hope to talk soon._ "

Sebastian stared at the phone wondering how he should respond, particularly when a few words were needed for this particular response.

"Hi. Are you the one heading to Portia?"

The phone closed yet again. Sebastian took a deep breath and tossed the bag with snacks into the trash can next to where he waited having finished the contents. " _I do feel a little more energy from seeing a place I've not seen in a long time, so I'll contact Sam once I get to Portia._ " He also felt like responding. "Yes.

"I'm Wuwa, the boat captain for Portia."

He wanted to say something, yet proper etiquette refused to come the way he wanted. In fact, nothing came out of his mouth. The boat in front of him was definitely different than Willy's with a whole lot more color and flashy sails in comparison; Willy used his boat mainly for fishing purposes, yet the boat for Portia was used mainly for transporting people and goods to Portia.

Everything felt like a dream - an unreal dream he couldn't even possibly begin to understand. What he was doing - Sebastian knew going after the job was way outside of his comfort zone, but so unlike himself. Yet, he'd also never expected he'd moved out like he planned - though in truth this wasn't how he planned it.

"So, what's your reason for coming to Portia?"

Sebastian froze, but his hand slipped into his pocket for the paper with the job information. He wasn't sure how to answer someone who was, in fact, a complete stranger, though there was a chance this man was the boat captain the last time he came to Portia. There was something familiar about the face.

"Most of the people come here for ruin diving."

"Ruin diving?"

"Yeah. They go digging for old artifacts - old world stuff and tech."

"There's a lot here?" Sebastian thought of the artifacts from the old world he sometimes found around Stardew Valley, particularly in the caves. These items didn't attract tourists, though. Instead, Stardew depended a lot on their festivals.

"I guess so. I'm more interested in fishing and boating."

"Ah…" Sebastian pulled out the piece of paper with the job. " _Given the job Demetrius arranged for me to take on, I shouldn't have expected things to be exactly the same as last time. Not that 'that' really changes anything regarding the situation."_

"It's also rather late." Wuwu's comment made Sebastian take in the setting sun. "That said if you're in need of a place to stay while in Portia, I should be able to get you there before the Happy Apartments close for the night."

"Ah…" Sebastian glanced away. He wasn't sure if Wuwu heard him speak. "I've got that covered." In reality, Demetrius had that covered - sort of. None of this plan was something Sebastian had control over; in some ways the fact everything was planned out made him feel somewhat sane regarding the situation. " _Come on. This is meant to prevent you from becoming insane. Remember?_ "

Eventually, much to Sebastian's relief, they'd arrived. This meant the end of the conversation between him and Wuwu. Yet, a different kind of stress started up upon recognizing the familiar sight of Portia at night. He didn't think he'd ever see the familiar sight again as the stars shown down brightly.

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Well, let's get this over with."

He started up the path towards the town. His fingers tightened around the straps of his messenger and duffel bag. Mentally, he cursed his poor luck. It felt as if the world were out to get him; he also felt as if - even know, he didn't have any tool for fighting back. Even when he arrived at his destination - the place he'd be staying while in Portia - he still didn't feel as if he could fight back.

Sebastian looked at the place. "Mom's old workshop."

He bit his lip slightly, remembering how many times he told both Demetrius and Robin he wouldn't follow in her footsteps. The frustration built, yet his fingers closed around the piece of paper; the job focused on computers, something none of the builders dealt with. He slipped his phone from the bag, knowing he needed to call Sam.

" _It's still late at night, so…_ " The excuse he told himself ended up not mattering; there was yet again no signal. Sebastian ruffled the back of his head, pressing his lips together as he did so. He slipped the phone back in and started pulling out the key.

"Hey! "

What happened next was a blur. His mind registered the voice possibly belonged to a female, yet he also felt something slam into the back of his head knocking him to the ground. His mind also registered a sound that indicated his computer might have taken on some of the impacts. His eyes attempted blinking back stars. "Ugh…"

"What are you doing breaking into the place."

Yes, life was out to get him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the process of world building how the two fandoms would blend together I decided the workshop the player takes over from their father is in this narrative originally Robin's, but there is more world building to this.


	4. Day Two – March 2 – Lot in Life

He woke up with a definite headache. Upon sitting up, the stiffness of his muscles became apparent, but at least he wasn't blinking back stars. Instead, when Sebastian opened his eyes, he blinked because of where he was. A groan escaped and he leaned against the wall.

"Great. Civil Corps." Sebastian looked up at the ceiling of the jail cell, pulling up one leg as he did so. His throat tightened. " _Do I have a target on my back? Is life out to get me that much?_ "

The sound of keys jingling made his lookup.

In front of him stood a young female with short blond hair. She wore bright colors and a pink colored aviator hat. The keys for the jail cell swung around a gloved finger while she looked at him with eyes a color he didn't care to discern as this meant making actual eye contact.

"I see you're awake."

"…" Sebastian turned his head so he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Care to tell me why you were trespassing on someone else's property?" Her question made Sebastian turn his head and look her in the eye, letting him see a pair of blue eyes.

Sebastian's mouth twisted in irritation at her assumption. Worse, he felt slightly irritated by his current predicament, yet his teeth clenched shut; the last thing he needed was to lose his temper like his mother or Maru could - he felt completely capable of doing so.

"Look, kid…"

"I'm _not_ a kid," Sebastian growled out the words.

"I know that place hasn't been used for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can use it for squatting in. Plus, we have a hard enough time keeping the kids out of that place in case…" The young female let out a sigh, but the keys stopped swinging around her finger. "Actually, I don't see why I should tell that to a complete stranger."

"And how long am I going to be in here, huh?" Sebastian continued glaring at the young female who'd not introduced herself by name yet.

"How long?" A smirk appeared on her face. "I think I'll let you sit and stew over what you've done. I've got rounds to make."

"Hey!" Sebastian stood up. The move proved pointless, as she moved out of sight. Soon, the door of the Civil Corps opened and closed. He sat down with a sigh, clamping his hands over his knees. His dark eyes glanced around looking for his bags, yet didn't find them anywhere nearby. "Shit."

He flopped onto the prison cell bed placing an arm over his forehead. One of his arms wrapped around his stomach while he swallowed a few times in frustration. The door opened and closed again, but he didn't uncover his eyes. A different person spoke. "Ah. You're awake."

Sebastian let his arm drift so he covered his face with one hand, but his fingers opened up so he might see the person looking at him. This person - their skin was dark like Demetrius and Maru. What Sebastian actually thought of as distinctive was the green hair and war paint on his cheeks and chin. He didn't respond.

"I don't know when Arlo will be back."

"Why…" A shiver ran down Sebastian's face, yet he felt the color drain. "… would I care about that?" Except he did care. He didn't want to say out loud what he was actually wanting to say. " _Shit. He's the last person I want to see._ "

"Because he's the head of the Civil Corps."

"Oh…" Sebastian swallowed; he covered his eyes up again. " _My luck gets worse and worse._ " After a few minutes, he realized he should say, " _I wasn't trespassing._ " Instead, the words froze in his throat rather than on the tip of his tongue. " _I hate social interaction. I really hate it._ "

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

Again, his aversion to the social interaction of any kind kicked in. Sebastian heard the person step away. A sigh escaped upon thinking the person would now ignore him, leaving him to the unlucky fate life presented him with. He flinched when he heard something slide towards him.

"You should eat."

Sebastian ground his teeth together. "What time is it?"

"Now? One o'clock."

"Shit." Sebastian's eyes clamped tighter. The meeting with the mayor was scheduled for lunchtime hour. He felt the heat spread across his face. "Shit!"

"Calm down."

Sebastian took a deep breath, trying to push his embarrassment aside.

"Eat something."

He sat up, pushing his hands behind him for support. His eyes didn't open right away. Instead, his hands clenched into fists. He took a deep breath and pulled his legs up into a bent position before sitting in a crossed-legged position. He leaned forward, mentally getting his head straight.

"Hey…"

The door opened and closed. Another person approached. "Is the kid talking?" Sebastian felt one of his eyebrows twitch upon hearing her voice, but also her calling him a kid. "Has he spilled the beans regarding why he's trespassing?"

"Sam…"

Sebastian's eyes snapped open; he almost gagged as the idea of what his best friend might look like as a girl passed through his mind. He turned his head slightly, looking at the two people.

"Oh. The kid looks a bit green." The female Sam placed her hands on her hips. "How long until…" The door opened and closed. "Oh, Arlo's back."

Sebastian felt his entire body tense up. He almost glanced away but stopped when he saw the look on the green-haired man's face. There was a look of amusement on his face, almost as if he knew.

"Hey, Arlo! Remington and I caught someone trespassing."

"Wait. I didn't have anything to do with that."

Sebastian glared at the man. " _Yup. He knows._ "

"Trespassing where?"

At the sound of a voice he'd not heard in a long time, Sebastian looked away.

"The old abandoned workshop."

"The…" The person's voice was closer. "Mint?"

"I _don't_ know you."

"Uh-huh."

" _Seriously. I don't want to tell him of all people. Hell, I don't want to go begging the mayor for a second chance just because I ended up in this stupid, embarrassing situation. I could have avoided him - almost everyone - getting the job done and gone home if it weren't for her._ "

"Yeah, well you can go as soon as you eat something."

"Wait…"

"I've got rounds to do Sam."

" _Of course he's got better things to do._ " Sebastian heard Arlo head back outside, but Sam hurrying after asking if he'd wait. He felt a few tears of anger fall onto his clenched hands.

"Sorry. I didn't think Arlo would return from his mission right when he did."

"It doesn't matter."

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you on that. I still have my standing orders that you can leave when you eat, so eat up."

Sebastian ground his teeth together. In the back of his mind, he wished he was back home in his basement in the dark, yet he found himself freezing up. He heard the door to the jail cell open and then the person picking up the tray of food. The trey of food appeared in front of him.

"Look, you're not in trouble. Sam might even get an earful, but when you're done eating you can return to your mom's workshop."

"If you knew, then why didn't you just let me go?"

"Yeah. Arlo would have killed me had I let you go after taking one of Sam's sneak attacks when she apprehended you…" Remmington cleared his voice. "… doing nothing wrong of course. Though, I do have to admit the look of shock on his face seeing you in here was amusing."

Sebastian turned his head, finding himself in a rather dark mood. "How did you know though?"

"Another time?" The man rubbed the back of his green hair. "Eat something and you can go. Dr. Xu already examined you when Sam brought you in. He said you might have slight bruising for a few days, but you'll be alright."

"So that's why my head hurts. Not a headache then." Sebastian reluctantly poked at the food, but then looked up. "Do you _have_ to watch?"

"Sorry. Just leave the trey there. Xu also said if you have any other symptoms to let him know. The clinic - it's actually just outside of the Civil Corps."

"I already know that."

"Yeah, sorry."

" _Not as sorry as I am for coming here._ " Sebastian pulled his bottom lip in. " _I can't believe Demetrius' plan ended up screwed up like this. I can't tell him I screwed up like this. The other times I've screwed up…_ " His mouth opened. "Shit."

"Language, particularly around the little kids in town."

Sebastian glanced up and saw Remington wasn't actually watching whether he ate or not. He pushed the tray away but started getting up, only to realize he didn't know where his bags were. Reluctantly, he ate the food in front of him before setting it down. He stood up, walking over to the man. At first, he thought he might need to clear his throat.

"Let me get your bags."

Sebastian watched Remington head up the stairs near the jail cell. Soon, he came down with the bags. Sebastian took them, glancing at the ground. "Th…th…" His head darted away. "Never mind."

He needed to getaway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for a crossover between the two fandoms started with comparing the two. One of the first things I noticed was how Sebastian and Mint were similar, yet different, but I found myself wondering if the difference comes down to one being an orphan and the other not. However, the "idea" didn't stop there.


	5. Day Two – March 2 – Just Fine

" _Do you want to talk?"_

He sent the message soon after Sebastian hurried off, yet Sam felt as if he should say something to his mother regarding the situation. Sebastian also moved too fast for Sam to catch up with him easily. More importantly, his focus shifted towards his mother. "Seriously?"

"What do you mean seriously?" His mother stared at him as if he grew another head. "Who else could the father be? I mean, not you."

"Maybe it's me." Sam watched his mother raise an eyebrow. "Come on. You don't think…"

"That you're still a virgin? No. I just know you wouldn't do that to your best friend."

"You know. I'm going to my room."

"Perhaps you can convince Sebastian to do the right thing on this?"

Sam didn't respond and instead closed the door behind him. "Seriously." He purposefully picked the words, " _Do you want to talk_ " instead of the words " _we need to talk._ " He'd hoped Sebastian might respond, yet didn't want to push the matter.

He didn't want to push the matter because…

Sometimes when one pushed with Sebastian he would become more stubborn regarding the matter. Sam also didn't want to say the wrong thing, in turn, making Sebastian dig in more. Eventually, they learned Abigail wasn't actually pregnant. He felt elated when Sebastian sent him a message saying, " _I'm okay._ "

" _I'm glad. Hope to talk soon._ " Except, no message came as quick as he expected Sebastian to normally respond once he did start talking. There wasn't a single message from the night before or the morning after.

" _Hey. You said we could talk soon, but I've not heard from you._ " Sam looked down at the text he sent, his mind wondering if Sebastian was on schedule for his medication. Normally, they'd communicate on more regular bases. One hand ruffled the back of his head. "He wasn't telling me he was okay because he didn't want me to worry about that?"

"Shit." Sam started writing a message asking Sebastian if he'd taken his medication, yet stopped partway through. He wasn't sure how to approach the matter. A hand twisted into his hair. "Seriously… we never really talked about what I should do if something like this happened."

Taking a deep breath, he started writing a message only to freeze. He finally took a deep breath. "Okay. He may take this the wrong way, and I may be overstepping things, but I can't say anything."

He wrote the message out. " _Hey. Seb. I've not seen you since the whole thing blew up. I feel like I honestly should have said something sooner, but I am worried about ya' buddy. Specifically, I'm worried you're on schedule with your meds. The last thing I want is for you to get sick._ "

~SP~

Robin's eyes drifted towards the stairway which led down to Sebastian's room. Her mouth pushed together in frustration. She'd not seen Sebastian since the night before, yet felt slightly relieved regarding this knowledge. She felt if she spoke to her son any time soon she would blow up.

"I'm heading out to the General Store for exercise."

"Okay." For once, a given situation hadn't ended up with an incident between Demetrius and Sebastian where the conversation ended in raised voices and her son storming off. The fact he'd not confronted Sebastian though about doing the right thing left a sinking feeling in her stomach; in some ways, it felt as if Demetrius finally gave up.

Robin headed down the path towards Pelican Town. In the back of her head, she knew she would be seeing Caroline and even possibly Abigail. Taking a deep breath, she headed into the store and past Pierre. She couldn't blame him for the look on his face, yet knew she needed some time before she tried talking to him.

Caroline was another matter entirely.

She stood in the large room the women met and gave her a weak smile. "Still not talking to Sebastian?"

"I just wanted him to do the right thing. I'm sorry he didn't."

"I can't believe Sam tried telling me he was the one." Jody let out a sigh from where she stretched on the floor.

Caroline let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I know. Abigail wouldn't cheat on Sebastian either." She turned and look at Robin. "Give him some time. Then you can talk to him about having unprotected sex."

"Not a conversation I'm looking for. This is something…" Robin closed her eyes.

"We all know how Sebastian doesn't get along with Demetrius and know-how that would go over." Caroline titled her head. "Of course, Pierre could talk to him."

"I'll think about it." She almost opened her mouth and said something about Sam being a bad influence, yet stopped when she remembered Jody was there.

Jody apparently caught sight of the guilt on her face. "I know. My son's not the person to be explaining this to him either."

Robin let out a sigh. Emily and Marnie walked in, making her think changing the subject was a good idea. "I'll start warming up."

~SP~

Sebastian pulled the dark hood over his head but kept himself going quickly. He kept his head down and his hands in his pockets as he headed down the path from the Civil Corps which lead to Peach Plaza. He arrived at the small hill path behind the buildings which surrounded Peach Plaza and continued down.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a short man with red hair hurry past him. "I'm late. I'm late for lunch with my Ginger."

Sebastian froze briefly, swallowing as he did so before shaking his head and continuing on his way. He walked quickly towards the old workshop, unable to let out a deep breath to relieve the anxiety he felt. He arrived at the gate for the workshop property he reached into his bag for the key when he heard someone hurrying down the path behind him.

"I'm late. I'm _really_ late."

He swallowed, his head lifting a little while hoping the person would pass him by."

"Oh."

Sebastian held back a groan, knowing the person behind him caught sight of him.

"You're not a tourist?"

He almost turned his head; the motion stopped and instead his head snapped back in the other direction. His mouth pressed together hoping the person wouldn't continue speaking.

"There's not been anybody in this place since before I moved here with my grandmother. Not unless you count the girls sneaking in."

"Weren't you running late."

"Oh. Yes." He couldn't see the person's face, but she - he was sure it was a female, didn't stop speaking. "I normally get back to the ranch to feed the chickens and ducks sooner. My name is Emily, by the way. It's nice having a new neighbor near Grandma Sophie and me."

He wanted to say he wouldn't be around long, yet hearing the name of the old woman who ran the nearby ranch made him freeze. His head tilted slightly while he swallowed, remembering how his mother spent time with the old woman. "Uh…"

"Anyways, see you later. Maybe I could introduce you to some of the townspeople."

A sigh of relief escaped his lungs. "Good grief."

He finally unlocked the door and stepped in. The place was empty, yet this didn't surprise him. He closed the door behind him and slid down the wall while his finger turned on the light, pulling his bags closely. He took another deep breath.

There was no light, but likely no water in the small kitchen and bathroom off to the side.

Eventually, he opened the bag and opened his computer. He pushed the power button, hoping the screen might spring alive. Nothing happened. Sebastian felt his throat tighten before he set the computer down hoping the issue was simply his computer being out of juice. He turned to his phone on, only to see the lack of signal. He let out a sound of irritation from his mouth.

The chances of the battery on his computer being low if his phone still had power was unlikely. He set his head against the wall and let out another sigh. His eyes closed. "I wonder what unlucky thing will happen to me know."

The sound of electricity crackling made his eyes open up just as the light to the room turned on. His mouth opened, yet he found himself surprised at the sudden appearance of the light. His mouth closed, knowing he'd not gone to the town hall to have the electricity or water turned back on.

Sebastian simply sat there, wondering what he should do next, pulling his legs up to his chest while his mouth tightened into a thin line. He saw the sun setting in the window while his mind remained unsure when a knock came at the door.

He froze, his eyes widening. Slowly, he set aside his bags and stood up. He headed to the door, yet didn't see anyone waiting for him. The smell of food coming from below made him glance down. He swallowed upon recognizing the dish of Seafood Noodles waiting for him with a note.

Letting out a sigh, Sebastian stooped down and picked up the plate of food, pulling it inside the workshop. He slid down to the ground and opened the letter.

_Sebby_

_If you don't want to talk, fine. We don't have to. Electricity and water are turned back on, but here's something to eat._

_Arlo_

Sebastian's stomach grumbled, yet the letter made him pick at the food until he managed to eat the food. The words, " _if you don't want to talk, fine_ " stuck in his head. With the light, he now noticed places the workshop would need repairs, but also how there wasn't even a bed.

It would be a long night, yet he still needed plans regarding what he would do next.


	6. Day Three – March 3 – Making the Best of Things

The night in his mother's old workshop was as rough as Sebastian predicted. He woke up with completely stiff joints from sleeping in the sitting position leaning up against the wall. Despite a long night's sleep, he ended up feeling tired when he woke up. A deep sigh escaped from his lungs, his eyes taking in the dust which floated around the place. In the morning hour, he found himself looking over the place again. Despite the workshop needing a few repairs, the dust wasn't as thick as it should be for a place that was unused for quite a few years.

Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck while pushing his lips together. "What the _hell_ am I supposed to do? I'm pretty much screwed."

Calling Demetrius crossed his mind, yet realization hit hard that doing so would result in Robin finding out. He swallowed, knowing his overprotective mother would rush over trying to make things right; worse, she was already disappointed enough as it was. Of course, going home wasn't an option either which meant making the best of his current situation.

A groan escaped Sebastian's lungs.

"Good grief. I swore I'd never follow in her footsteps."

After all, making the best of the situation meant doing something regarding his current living situation. The floor and walls definitely needed repairs, which meant utilizing the worktable. Sebastian stood up, heading into the kitchen where he knew his mother kept a few basic tools.

"Just my luck, she won't have left anything. After all, it's been well over ten years since she's been in this place." Opening the cupboard, he found the most basic of tools along with some old world tech; specifically, he found a few inventory expanders and his mother's old handbook. Sebastian took a deep breath, hoping he'd managed to luck out. "Oh. That might actually help."

Clicking the handbook on, Sebastian found himself pleased at finding various recipes including how one might make a simple axe and pickaxe which in turn would make the task of fixing the workshop up easier. He set the device down onto the counter, placing the inventory expanders on the counter before heading back into the living area.

Next, Sebastian lifted up his two bags along with his computer. He set the computer on the counter and plugged the device in so he might charge the battery up; Sebastian hoped _that_ was the issue. He emptied out the satchel bag of everything, setting the clothes he packed onto the counter. He proceeded in opening up the place which at one time held inventory expansion pieces.

Sebastian stopped, a memory flickering. He bit down onto his lip lightly.

PS

"Maru, have you seen…" Sebastian opened the door to Maru's room.

Maru hurried over and tried pushing the door closed, her facial features twisting slightly in anger. "You're supposed to knock before you enter, dummy!"

Indeed, Sebastian _had_ entered his younger sister's room without knocking in search of his satchel bag which was for some reason missing from where he'd left the bag in the front entryway of the family home. He contemplated backing off when he saw said satchel sitting on Maru's worktable. " _What_ are you doing with my bag?"

His younger sister attempted pushing the door shut. Sebastian pushed back, utilizing the fact he was older and stronger to his advantage and thus preventing her from closing the door. This allowed him to see _what_ she was doing with his satchel bag, which was removing the inventory expansion pieces from his bag. Worse, she'd destroyed every piece of the old world tech for some reason.

Sebastian pushed the door open further, knocking Mary back. He quickly walked over towards the worktable. Maru's voice raised in anger, but hurried over and tugged on one of his sleeves. "Get out Sebby."

" _That's_ my bag!" Sebastian picked up one of the broken inventory expansion devices. " _What_ are you thinking, taking…"

"I'm trying to figure out how it works!"

"By wrecking…"

"I'm not wrecking anything!" Maru's voice rose, but she climbed up onto her chair so she might match him height-wise, if not outright tower over him. She folded her arms across her small chest. "Plus, you're always fiddling with the old-world tech you bring out of the caves. What's the difference."

"Difference?" Sebastian's teeth ground together. "You're wrecking my stuff!"

"I'm not!" Maru pushed him which in turn made him lift his arm up slightly, upsetting her balance. She started toppling backward. Sebastian reacted by grabbing her arm roughly and yanking her back up.

"That hurts!" Tears welled in her eyes, but she hopped down, pushing past Sebastian. "Daddy!"

"Oh… shit! Maru!" Sebastian hurried after his sister, grabbing the satchel as he did so. "Maru! Get back here!"

She, of course, ran right into the arms of Demetrius. Sebastian skidded slightly while his hands grabbed the door frame. He saw one of his step-father's eyebrows go up. "Sebastian, what did you do this time?"

"I…" Sebastian swallowed. "I didn't do anything!"

Maru looked up at her father, tears in her eyes, but her words bubbling out at rapid speed. Her small hands tugged at the front of Demetrius' clothing, making Sebastian's step-father let out a sigh. One hand ruffled the top of Maru's head.

"Fine! Don't believe me!" Sebastian stormed down the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. He flopped onto the bed and faced the wall, cursing up a storm. Eventually, he calmed, waiting for Demetrius' to come and lecture him. He heard the door to his room open but heard Demetrius' step closer

"You should have come to me."

"As if that would have done any good."

"I could still get them back for you."

"What's the use. She's already wrecked them."

"Sebastian…"

"I got it!" Sebastian sat up, throwing the pillow at Demetrius. "I hurt my sister! I feel bad enough about that as it is!"

"I'm getting the message as well." The tone of voice Demetrius used indicated he was definitely frustrated with Sebastian, yet he'd left.

PS

Sebastian swallowed, closing his eyes. In the back of his mind, he remembered thinking at the time Demetrius meant he was in trouble for hurting Maru, that his step-father wouldn't have listened to his side; after all, Maru was rather spoiled and seemingly could do no wrong in Demetrius' eyes. Now, he wondered if Demetrius actually meant Sebastian should have simply let Demetrius handle the situation.

He'd still, like many other days, not told his side of the story.

After finishing installing the inventory expansion pieces into his bag, he put the bag on and headed out the front door. He walked over towards the worktable and brushed away the debris which gathered on top. Glancing around he saw piles of rock and wood which would supply him with what he needed to make the axe and pickaxe which in turn would make gathering the rocks and wood he needed for repairing the place easier. He turned so he might head towards the front gate.

His body still felt stiff from his poor sleeping situation from the night before. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone heading across the field, yet didn't think anything of it until he arrived at the front gate just as the person arrived so they stood right in front of him, holding out a pumpkin pie. His eyes blinked. "Uh…"

"We met last night, remember?"

He definitely recognized the voice but didn't recognize the face. After all, Sebastian kept his face covered and purposefully looked away. Now, though, he found himself placing the voice with a face, although he didn't remember her name given the fact he didn't think he would need to worry about such a thing.

Except, he did remember her mentioning Grandma Sophie, whom he remembered from his childhood.

The person in front of him wore her long blond hair in a ponytail, but her eyes were a blueish-green color. A smattering of freckles covered her face, but she wore slightly worn farming clothes and boots. Given the fact he noticed that much, including the white studs in her ear made Sebastian feel she was too close, but the way she tied the front of her clothing revealed a bit too much skin for his liking.

Sebastian looked away, yet he felt a bit of heat on his cheeks. "Um…"

"I guess I shouldn't expect you to remember my name from the night before. I mean, I don't remember yours."

"I didn't say."

"Well…" She held out one hand, a little too enthusiastically for his liking. "I'm Emily."

Sebastian swallowed, looking at the hand in front of him. Not taking the hand or giving his name would, he knew, be rude, yet he hated making social faux pas. "Sebastian. My name's Sebastian."

He held out his hand, deciding to let her take things from there. Emily shook his hand a little too enthusiastically for his liking. "Anyways, I've brought by one of my Grandma Sophie's pumpkin pies. They're really good. The best…"

"I already know." Sebastian took the pumpkin pie from her, remembering Grandma Sophie was the one who taught his own mother how to make pumpkin pies along with pumpkin soup. The way Emily's eyes widened made him think he'd messed up.

"You already know?"

"I… uh." Sebastian looked away, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his head.

"You've been to Portia before? I mean, you don't look much older than me."

"Um… this is…"

"Oh. Sorry. Anyways, I hope to see you around." Emily took off, leaving Sebastian there with a pumpkin pie in his hands.


	7. Day Three - March 3 - Maintaining Focus

Things definitely weren't going his way.

In the back of Sebastian's mind, he knew he'd not come to Portia to make friends. Of course, _what_ he'd come for was honestly dashed into a million pieces if it ever existed at all. Getting away from everything felt even more like running away, yet he found himself pulled into something heading in an unknown direction.

Sebastian finally turned and headed into the workshop straight for the kitchen. He set the pumpkin pie onto the counter. His hands tightened around the edge of the counter. A quick glance at his computer made him think about how the device hadn't turned on, how he wasn't sure if it was a battery issue or something else.

A sigh escaped; he headed back out noting once again the various places in need of repair.

He needed a distraction; repairing the workshop was _it_. He headed out, fully planning on gathering the stone and wood he needed to make the most basic of tools. The task proved simple enough, as did making the tools. Despite this, a few choice curse words escaped his mouth. " _Come on Sebastian. It's just repairing the workshop. You're not heading down that path._ "

"Sebby?"

Sebastian's entire body tensed up upon hearing the sound of _that_ person's voice. "Shit."

"Seriously?"

"What do you want Arlo?" The axe and pickaxe now lay on the table. He didn't look Arlo in the eye.

"What brought you back to Portia kiddo?"

Sebastian turned. He knew better than to react when he was angry, yet he did. " _That_ is none of your business." He saw Arlo's eyes widen slightly, but the red-head stood with his arms crossed. Sebastian glanced away. " _Seriously. I'm not going to let him treat me the way she did. Not saying anything. Nothing at all._ "

"Come on." Arlo didn't back down as Sebastian hoped; Sebastian's hands clenched.

"Don't pretend that you care."

"Excuse me?"

Fresh on Sebastian's mind was how Arlo didn't have time the day before, but also the letter along with the words, " _if you don't want to talk, fine._ " He let his shoulders hunched up. "Don't. Just, don't. I can take care of myself."

"Okay." Arlo let out a sigh, yet Sebastian thought he heard the sound of disappointment in said sigh. He heard Arlo turn and leave, which in turn made Sebastian turn so he might look at Arlo's retreating back. He watched Arlo rub his neck, knowing full well that was a sign Arlo was dealing with something he found unpleasant.

Despite already feeling fatigued, Sebastian set out chopping down the trees he needed for fixing the floorboards so he might have an easier time sleeping. Every so often he'd glance up at the empty room and lack of sleeping arrangements, shaking his head as he did so.

He wanted to crawl into his bed back home in his nice dark basement and hide from the world.

"Focus, Sebastian. Focus."

He continued sanding down the last of the wood, making the places where cold air came in go away. Unfortunately, there was only so long Sebastian could continue working on the floor, leaving him to look at the empty room around him. He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to secure himself some kind of sleeping arrangement.

"Fuck." Sebastian let out a sigh of frustration as he sat back on his heels. He worried the corners his lips. He wasn't sure he had enough cash on him, nor was he sure if he might find a place in Portia where he could take cash out of his bank account. Impatiently, he walked into the kitchen and snapped his phone open, only to realize he was still not getting a signal.

Another push of a button showed his computer still wasn't working. Sebastian swallowed, not liking the fact he couldn't work on any of his personal computer projects let alone take on any computer work due to the condition of his laptop. "Fuck."

A knock came at the door. The thought of someone else visiting made Sebastian feel nauseous; he didn't want to interact with any more people. He quickly reached for his bag, for he remembered he needed to take his medication. He took a deep breath, knowing full well there weren't any cups for him to drink from. He instead leaned over to the faucet and took some water into his mouth.

It tasted nasty.

The knock came again.

Reluctantly, Sebastian headed towards the front door. He opened the door, fully expecting yet another uninvited guest. He didn't expect a rather large man to brush by him. "Delivery."

Sebastian found himself taken back by the presence of a rather large man with red hair. The man held a bed hoisted over his shoulder. Sebastian's eyes blinked, trying to brush away the confusion at seeing the man he recognized from his childhood as Paulie. "Wait…"

He found himself stepping back so Paulie might not bowl him over as he stepped into the empty room and placed the bed into the corner of the room. Sebastian swallowed, wondering how Paulie already knew he was in town. "I didn't order a bed."

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that."

Sebastian swallowed, looking away. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing."

Sebastian flinched slightly. "I don't want charity."

"As if I'd leave one of Robin's kids in a lurch."

Sebastian glanced away. "She doesn't know I'm here. Also, did Arlo put you up to this?"

"Arlo? No. Remington is the one who let me know you were in town, Mint." Paulie stepped forward, clapping a hand gently onto Sebastian's shoulder despite his large, muscular frame. "As for why you're here, I'm not going to ask. That said…" Paulie held his hand at waist height. "Last time I saw you, you were this tall. You've definitely sprouted up, haven't you?"

Paulie left, closing the front door behind him, but not before saying, "I'm glad you're thinking of reopening her old workshop."

"Wait…" Sebastian flinched as the door closed behind Paulie. "I'm not reopening the workshop. No. I'm not following in her footsteps. I swore I never would." Sebastian scratched the top of his head, frustrated at his current situation. "Seriously. Can my day get any worse?"


	8. Day Three – March 3 – Unlucky

He wasn't sure what to do next.

Perhaps what he did next resulted from needing something, anything to do; in other words, he unintentionally provided himself with a distraction from everything he thought was going wrong in his life. He couldn't do anything on his computer, he couldn't call anyone on his phone, so his mind went straight towards thinking of a solution to a problem even if said problem didn't exist yet.

Specifically, he started thinking of a solution for storage.

True, one of the items he could make with the workshop table was storage boxes. Leaving a bunch of storage boxes out cluttering the yard - the very thought drove him insane, so he chooses to tackle the issue. It didn't matter that he didn't yet need the solution; in fact, he might never need the solution.

Said solution distracted him from the fact things were definitely a mess.

Worse, in his mind, Sebastian had an idea regarding the solution lodged in there not going away. Once he started, he couldn't stop. Of course, he didn't have the use of his computer to plan out the idea stuck in his head. He grabbed the piece of paper which contained the information for the job opportunity he lost and turned it over but reached into his messenger bag for a pen.

His fingers moved quickly, sketching out the idea for the storage shed and the pieces he needed for said design. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian glanced through the crafting recipes for the assembly station in search of the equipment he would need for the project he'd set for himself. He let out a breath, feeling slightly relaxed after focusing himself on a project.

His mind calculated his next step, which involved making a stone furnace so he might smelt copper so he might build a grinder, yet he knew he would also need to gather copper and gather some old parts from the ruins. At least, the handbook indicated he could find some of these old parts in the ruins.

He didn't want to _think_ about his current situation let alone any of the numerous problems which felt like they were adding up. Instead, he focused on heading out to the yard and started in on creating yet another problem for himself; his mind didn't register this as something which would potentially exasperate his situation.

He set out gathering more stone and more wood so he might craft the stone furnace. Creating the stone stool he needed felt like second nature, yet he found himself pleased with the end product. Not once did he think about Arlo, or what happened back in Pelican town, or the fact he'd found himself interacting with a complete stranger.

Sebastian finished putting the stool and wood together when a voice called out from nearby. "I was coming to see you Mint regarding taking the builders test, yet it looks like you've already fulfilled the requirements."

Sebastian turned, his eyes widening in confusion. In the back of his mind, he knew he recognized the person standing in front of him, yet he couldn't recollect the name of the man wearing the gold-rimmed glasses standing right there. His eyes blinked, wondering why the man approached him regarding some builders test. "Uh…"

The man picked up on his confusion, or at least Sebastian thought the man did. "You are planning on reopening your mother's old workshop, right?"

"I…" Sebastian's eyes blinked again. He swallowed, wanting to verbally ask the man who he was.

"Oh. You may not remember me. It's been a while after all since Robin was taking on commissions for the Commerce Guild, but things have changed a bit since then. I'm Presley." The man held out his hand for Sebastian to shake. Sebastian's eyes blinked; eventually he reached out and took the man's hand. "I'll send the license to you via the mail. It will arrive tomorrow morning. You'll need to take said license to the mayor's office to register your workshop. Town Hall opens up at nine o'clock."

"Wait…" Sebastian felt his throat tighten slightly. He wanted to say he wasn't wanting to open the workshop back up, that he'd sworn he'd never become a builder like his mother. Instead, he said. "Who?"

"Who?"

"I mean…" Sebastian swallowed. His entire body tensed up, realizing he'd need to follow through with the conversation he'd started, or at least this felt like the socially acceptable thing to do in his mind. "Arlo? Did he say something?"

"Arlo?" Presley rubbed his chin. "No. It wasn't Arlo who approached me. It was Paulie. He was quite excited you were back in town. He also said something about Robin not knowing you're here." Presley clapped a hand down onto Sebastian's shoulder, making him tense up even more. "It's good to know that you're wanting to do this without your mother's help. Still, if you need any advice, don't hesitate to ask."

"Wh…"

"I didn't become the commissioner of the Commerce Guild for no reason, but my job is to help out the workshops when they need it. Hope to see you once you get your workshop and we'll get you situated on taking commissions."

Sebastian found himself unable to say anything. Instead, he felt Presley shake his hand again before bidding him goodbye. He wanted to yell out for the man to wait, that there was some kind of mistake, yet he found himself frozen on the spot, his mind completely numb. After all, nothing went right for him since Abigail's pregnancy scare.

He swallowed, realizing Arlo hadn't contacted Paulie or Presley. His hands clenched. " _If you don't want to talk, fine._ " Sebastian took a deep breath, then ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he started towards Peach Plaza, knowing he'd find a phone booth there. Taking another deep breath, he dialed Sam's home phone number - the number he'd memorized; Sam's cell phone number was programmed in as a quick dial on his own cell phone.

The phone rang; he waited, hoping.

"Hello?"

Sebastian stiffened up, recognizing the voice.

"Hello. This is Jodi…"

Sebastian hung up the phone. Reluctantly, he returned home, flopping onto the bed Paulie brought. He let out a groan, placing one arm behind his head.


	9. Day Four – March 4 – Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As noted in chapter four, the idea for a crossover started by comparing the two fandoms, most particularly the characters Sebastian and Mint. On top of wondering if the difference between the two came down to one being and orphan or not, I remembered Robin's parents were bewildered regarding her choice to become a carpenter which in turn made me think, "that sounds like Gale's parents". On top of this, Mint does call him Uncle Gale, so I couldn't help going this route.

He didn't want to wake up.

The need to feed himself overwrote the feeling of wanting to hunker down under the covers so he might hide from the world as well as reality. Sebastian headed into the kitchen, quickly finding his only food was, in fact, a pumpkin pie. His stomach growled, yet his mouth drooled, the memory of the taste lingering somewhere in the back of his mind.

Without hesitation he took a slice, ate it, savoring the bite he took. In the back of his mind, he knew he would need to visit Sophie at some point. For some reason, visiting the elderly woman he called granny as a child seemed like a possibly pleasant experience. He took another bite, continuing to savor the piece of pie until it was completely gone.

With a sigh, Sebastian pulled out his phone despite the fact he knew he couldn't connect with the network. Swallowing, he noted the time indicated he was in fact late for the arriving at the City Hall when it opened, yet he honestly didn't want to interact with the mayor. In the back of his mind, he knew going the route he swore he never would was currently his best option, at least until he discovered a better option.

His hands tightened into a pair of fists, his mind finally deciding what his course of action was. He headed towards the front door, grabbing his messenger bag as he did so. Taking a deep breath, he headed over towards the mailbox and retrieved his mail. He startled at seeing a package from Demetrius waiting for him along with the license. He stooped over and lifted the box up, carrying it inside to the kitchen.

Upon opening, he found various food items that would last him a while, yet Demetrius promised he would send more. Inside was also a few dishes and utensils along with a pan so he might cook. He swallowed, reading over the letter.

" _I know you're likely wanting to do this on your own Sebastian, but I couldn't very well leave you completely on your own, not to mention it is a tradition when a child moves out of the house to provide such things. I'll also call on Monday at around nine in the morning. If I can't get through to your cell phone, I'll call the payphone in Peach Plaza. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Also, I promise I've not told Maru or Robin where you are, though truth be told they've not noticed you're gone yet. That's not because they don't care, but you did have a low key presence in the household._ "

If he had a magnet, he'd put the letter on the fridge to remind him Demetrius - contrary to what he originally thought - actually cared. Instead, he set the letter on the counter next to his currently non functioning computer, letting out a sigh of relief right after. He opened the license, yet started towards City Hall despite not actually wanting to go.

" _Seriously. I don't know what's wrong with me._ "

One step after another he came closer to City Hall and facing the mayor, yet for some reason in the back of his mind, Sebastian felt as if he were taking unwanted steps towards facing other things. His hand reached for the door, allowing himself to enter the building and step in. He looked up at the mayor and…

… froze.

Sitting behind the desk working on his computer was a short man with red hair, yet Sebastian knew the person all too well.

He chocked out the words, "Uncle Gale."

The man's head darted up, but his eyes widened in excitement. "Mint!"

"Um…" Sebastian swallowed, shrugging one of his shoulders in an attempt to relieve the anxiety he felt. The man got up so he might hurry over to Sebastian "It's Sebastian, remember."

Gale's green eyes remained open as if contemplating what Sebastian said. "Ah. You don't want to go by your childhood nickname anymore, I see. How is your mother?"

"She…" Sebastian swallowed. "Mom is… uh."

"My younger sister isn't doing well?"

"Um, no. It's not that."

"Then what?"

"Mom doesn't actually know I'm here." Sebastian swallowed. "Please don't tell her." He swallowed again, hoping Gale wouldn't figure out he was the one applying for _that_ job a few days ago, yet _knowing_ the mayor was, in fact, Gale made Sebastian feel so much worse. "I'm, um…"

"Well, I wasn't expecting that. You certainly have grown since I last saw you, but the truth is you've long been taller than me. Care to join me, Ginger and Gust for lunch."

"I… um…" Sebastian glanced away. "Not today."

"Alright. I'll take a rain check. Actually…" Gale's mouth twisted slightly indicating he was contemplating something; Sebastian hoped he'd not figured out what he'd missed. "What brings you here to Portia, Mi… Sebastian. Oh, and have you seen Arlo yet."

"Arlo…" Sebastian glanced in a different direction which was still looking away. "Um…" Letting out a sigh, he held out the license. "This."

Gale took the license from Sebastian and examined the document. Eventually, he looked up at Sebastian. "You're opening up Robin's old workshop."

"Apparently."

"Well, I see you're as shy as ever." Gale hurried over towards his desk, heading to his computer. "What are you going to name the shop?"

"Wait. Wouldn't it have the same name as - well, her shop."

"This is your business adventure. I don't know your reasons for coming out here and not telling your mother, but I'm sure she'd be very proud of you."

"I doubt it."

"Mi… Sebastian, you are a very talented young man. You shouldn't doubt yourself."

Sebastian opened his mouth, wanting to say something about Maru, only to quickly close his mouth.

"So, do you have an idea for a name?"

He said the first thing which came out of his mouth. "Storm Rider."

"Oh. Wasn't that the name of…"

"I can pick a different…."

"No. It was a name you and Arlo came up with."

Sebastian let out a sound of irritation, wishing he might forget that particular fact.

Gale didn't hear the sound and instead focused on the computer in front of him. "You should say hi to him, but also Ginger. I'd say you should say hello to Gust as well, but…" Gale glanced up, a smile on his face. "I know the two of you didn't quite get along."

"I'm sorry if I'm being an inconvenience."

"Inconvenience. No, you're…" A frown appeared on Gale's face, then the man sighed. "No. The only thing which is an inconvenience is this computer. I haven't a clue what I'm doing, but I'm also hoping to have someone install this internet stuff into the businesses. This may take a while."

"Why?"

"I am currently having computer problems. Actually…" Gale let out a sigh. "The only one I know of capable of computery type things is…"

"I could look at it, see if I can't get it up and running."

"Really?"

Sebastian quickly remembered how hard it was to resist Gale whenever the man put his mind to something, yet unlike Robin, the man's stubbornness didn't come with a temper attached. Sebastian walked over and took the seat Gale vacated, yet with little effort got the system back up and running. "There."

"Wow. I'm surprised you didn't apply for this job of the Internet thingy." Gale patted him a couple of times on the shoulder. "Of course, you might not have heard about the job."

"I guess." Sebastian left the chair; his eyes didn't make eye contact. Eventually, Gale stamped the license and handed it back.

"You're official. Go see Presley."

"Alright." Sebastian took the license and started for the door.

"Wait."

Sebastian glanced back but didn't like the look on Gale's face. It almost as if the man figured out something. "Yes?"

His voice sounded nervous. Gale's eyes blinked. "Never mind. Don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it. After all, we're family."

"Yes, sir."

Sebastian left, breathing a sigh of relief when he existed. He headed towards the Commerce Guild, opening up the door. He swallowed, glancing around, trying to avoid eye contact with the man with pink hair who was definitely a stranger.

"Oh my. Aren't you a cutie."

That comment definitely made Sebastian feel uncomfortable. "Um…"

"Oh, don't worry. I know you're the new builder. It is definitely nice to meet you."

"Yes. This is the commerce guild secretary, Antoine."

"Sorry I got in here as late as I did, Mr. Presley." Sebastian looked at the ground nervously.

"Well, you certainly are as shy as you were as a child."

" _Seriously! That's the second time someone said this today._ "

"Anyways, the commission board is over here, although all the commissions were taken for today."

"That's okay." It didn't, though, feel okay.

Antoine spoke, making Sebastian cringe simply because he was a stranger. He hoped the cringe wasn't visible. "I suggest getting in when the place opens at eight in the morning. That way you can get the best commission - beating out the number one workshop for commissions you're able to take on."

"Okay." Sebastian bowed his head slightly. "Thank you both for your time. I'll take my leave."

He turned, leaving the house before heading back towards the workshop. He felt so much better when he closed the door behind him but made sure to take his medication for the day before collapsing yet again on the bed letting out his frustrations. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, wishing he wasn't facing what was currently his worst nightmare.


	10. Day Four – March 4 – Path to Prosper

For Portia to prosper the city needed to move forward. Moving forward meant bringing the beautiful city up to date, which included implementing various projects around the town. Helping move the town forward was Gust's bossiness partner Albert, who shared similar dreams regarding the town.

One of these jobs involved making sure the local businesses could easily connect to the Internet which would then allow the local shops to export local goods much easier. While the city proved popular for relic hunting, tourists were also dissatisfied with the lack of Internet connection available in other cities.

On Tuesday, Gale expected a young man to arrive from a place called Stardew Valley to take on this particular job. He waited patiently for the young man to show, yet the young man never did. As such, Gale found himself late for lunch with his dear Ginger, but he hurried up the path to the family home. He brushed by a young man wearing a black hoodie. "I'm late. I'm late for lunch with my Ginger."

He didn't see the young man flinch, let alone the young man's face. In fact, he simply thought the person a tourist even after a certain someone showed up in his office. In fact, he'd not seen a certain someone in a long time, yet felt the utmost delight upon seeing Mint standing there in front of him.

Mint had grown quite a lot since Gale last saw his nephew, yet so had Mint's hair. In fact, seeing Mint with shoulder-length hair - strangely styled for that matter - was honestly something Gale hadn't expected, nor was the fact his nephew now dressed all in black. Of course, Mint didn't want to be called by his childhood nickname, something Gale was likely to forget in his usual exuberance later on.

Something was also definitely off. Specifically, Sebastian had always been a shy child growing up, so his nephew hesitating wasn't abnormal. No, Gale was bothered by the fact Sebastian didn't want his mother to know where he was, which in turn meant the two weren't talking which also meant something happened.

If Sebastian wanted to spread his wings and leave the nest, Gale wasn't going to stop him, let alone get Robin involved in the situation. Instead, he wanted to see Sebastian blossom in the same way the boy did when he was a child. Sebastian, after all, was a genius, hands down.

Of course, there was also the issue of Sebastian apparently not having seen Arlo yet. Gale wondered in the back of his mind whether or not this had to do with Sebastian wanting Robin not to know; personally, Gale didn't think Arlo would say anything to Robin either, particularly since Arlo was out of sorts with Robin himself.

The idea of the two not getting along felt strange, particularly since the two went around when they were younger calling themselves the Storm Riders. Both admired Django greatly, yet practiced with the retired knight they idolized. As such, a tame related to Django's status as the Storm Knight made sense, yet in some ways, the name also related to the Flying Pigs Arlo was so interested in joining.

Unfortunately, Gale couldn't type in any of the workshop information as his computer crashed. He felt bad, given this meant he was taking up more of Sebastian's precious time - time Sebastian could use trying to get his workshop out there. The computer problems, honestly, were another reason why Gale wanted a person with computer experience in town, even if it was just for a while.

"I could look at it, see if I can't get it up and running."

Gale found himself surprised, yet gladly accepted his nephew's help. What surprised him, even more, was how quickly Sebastian resolved the problem which made Gale ponder why Sebastian hadn't applied for the job regarding the Internet.

He almost asked Sebastian again if he would join them for lunch to cover up the fact he'd actually figured out that his nephew was, in fact, the young person who applied for the job, but didn't show up in time. What clued him in was the way Sebastian acted, avoiding eye contact the exact same way the boy did when he was younger.

In fact, Gale suspected Sebastian was the young tourist he'd bumped into on his way to lunch on Tuesday, yet the direction the boy was coming from was the Civil Corps and clinic. Gale let out a sigh, glancing around wondering if City Hall would be alright while he headed to the clinic.

"No. That's personal business."

Gale opened his drawer up, pulling out the information sent. Indeed, Sebastian's name was there, yet Gale hadn't put two and two together before, what with the fact he'd always called the boy Mint. More importantly, he felt like an idiot for not recognizing the name.

"No. This is City Hall's business. If there is a logical reason for Mint to have missed the meeting on Tuesday, then perhaps I don't need to continue looking for someone who can take on the project." Gale stood up, completely planning on clearing the matter up, but not before he scribbled out a letter saying he was out on City Hall business.

He headed up the steep path up to his home, but passed the place on by, heading up to the clinic. Gale headed straight in, finding Phyllis waiting there. "Is something the matter mayor? Ginger isn't feeling ill. I can fetch the doctor if need be."

"No, I was wondering if Xu treated a young man say Tuesday."

"You know I can't reveal patient information."

"No. I'm not asking for that. It's more of…" Gale let out a deep breath. "There was a young man who was supposed to be arriving in town for a job, yet he didn't show at the time."

Phyllis took a deep breath. "I'm not sure that means I can tell you."

"Oh." Gale frowned. "I was thinking this young man was ashamed of missing the meeting for some reason out of his control, but if this was the case, I simply would like to give him a second chance."

The nurse pondered this information carefully. "You know, the Civil Corps tend to know what's going on in town. You might want to try asking one of them."

"Wait? You think Arlo actually knows Mint is in town?"

Phyllis looked at him carefully. "I think you might know more about this than I do mayor. Yes, it is possible Arlo knows this person is in town."

"Then I'm off to see him." Gale turned and headed off, fully knowing Arlo's patrol route for Thursdays. He practically booked it, yet called out for the leader of the Civil Corps. "Arlo!"

The man paused, keeping his emotions in check like always. "Mayor?"

"Did you know Mint is in town?"

"Sebby?" Arlo let out a sigh, swinging off his horse. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "You've actually seen him?"

"He just registered his workshop, but I don't think that's why he originally came back to Portia."

Arlo's eyes closed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I honestly don't know why Sebby's in town."

"It was a job. I didn't realize it was him until today, but he was supposed to show up at my office on Tuesday."

"What time?" The tone in Arlo's voice indicated the leader of the Civil Corps was coming to his own conclusions.

"Noon."

Arlo let out a sigh. "Look, Sebby made it clear he didn't want my help."

"Still, if something prevented him from attending that meeting…" Gale gave Arlo one of his hopeful looks, hoping the young man would open his eyes and see.

He indeed opened his eyes. "Sam thought he was trespassing at the workshop. I was away at the time, so I wasn't able to tell her that he wasn't actually trespassing. He honestly hadn't told me he'd missed a meeting with you, sir. As I said, he doesn't want me helping him. Please don't tell him I said anything."

Gale wasn't sure what to think of the last statement, but he did say. "That's okay. Speaking of not saying anything, he didn't say anything about Robin not knowing he's here."

Arlo blinked. "No. He didn't say anything about her."

"He also doesn't want her to know."

"Well, I can't blame him. I know how she is." Arlo quickly changed the subject, almost as if he wanted to distract Gale from their current conversation. "Isn't it almost lunchtime?"

Gale looked down at his watch. "Oh, yes. My Ginger is waiting for me. I was hoping Mint would join us for lunch, but he declined."

"Give him a bit of time to settle in. Those two were inseparable when they were younger."

"Yes. Them and… what was the name of that other child?"

"Yuki?"

"Yes. Well, I hope the rest of your day goes well, but maybe things will go better between you and Mint."

"I guess."

Gale turned and headed back towards his home. He walked in, excitement on his face. Gust was already there with his sister while Russo served lunch. "Guess what Ginger."

"Yes?" His daughter beamed at him.

"I saw Mint today at my office."

Gust set down his tea. "Why is he in Portia?"

"He's reopened his mother's old workshop as his own, though I think he was the young man who was here for the job."

"Not surprising he'd flake."

"Gust…" Ginger looked at her brother in disappointment.

"When you got sick…"

"Gust!"

"There was apparently a misunderstanding with the Civil Corps which prevented him from coming. I was hoping he would join us for lunch, but he took a rain check on said invitation."

"Well, I'm not going to worry my head about Mint being here. It's none of my bossiness." Gust returned to his tea.

Ginger looked at her brother, then her father. "I think it would be nice to see Mint again. I've not seen him since I got sick."

"No. None of us have." Gale sat down to his lunch. "I think things will also become interesting around here."

"Whatever you say." Gust continued drinking his tea.


	11. Day Five - March 5 - Stepping Forward

Somehow, he managed waking up in a timely manner the next morning. For breakfast, he ate more of the pumpkin pie instead of diving into the food Demetrius sent him. The realization hit quickly there was no coffee in what Demetrius sent, yet no cigarettes either. The realization hit he'd not smoked since he left Portia.

In the back of his mind he wondered if some of the agitations he felt came from the fact he'd not smoked in forever. In fact, he'd struggled in getting the chance to smoke before he left Portia, given the fact going out meant dealing with his mother, Maru and pretty much every other female in Stardew Valley. Without hesitation he stepped outside and lit up. He caught sight of something pink, yet brushed the observation away.

The rush of nicotine honestly felt good, yet Sebastian's entire body relaxed. His eyes closed, wishing outside wasn't so bright as smoke left his nostrils. In the back of his mind, he wondered _where_ in Portia he would get replacement cigarettes, yet he wondered if he should ask Demetrius if he might send some. His habit of smoking wasn't one either Robin or Demetrius approved of.

Yet…

Sebastian took a deep breath. He remembered Demetrius relating the fact he knew about Sebastian's mental illness. Smoking wasn't something Sebastian did because he wanted to. Instead, the action felt more like a necessity. " _When did I even start? It was sometime after I turned sixteen._ "

Sebastian took a deep breath, realizing he didn't have an ashtray. Letting out a huff rather than a curse, he leaned over and put the cigarette out in the dirt. He headed back into the workshop and into the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, he opened up the box Demetrius sent but then set the cigarette butt in the sink – at least for now, knowing full well he needed to arrive at the commissions guild in a timely manner.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside. On his way into town, he saw the flash of pink. His eyes blinked, recognizing the pink cat. His mind brushed away the thought, his mind instead drifting towards another sight. Django – someone Sebastian looked up to, in fact still did – stood outside of the shop practicing his swordsmanship. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian headed over towards the commissions guild, deciding not to make eye contact.

Django – he was the type of person to pick up on things.

The person with pink hair left the apartments nearby, sauntering over towards the front door of the commissions guild. "Ah. How are you today?"

"Okay." Sebastian glanced away, looking at his watch. He found himself glad the commerce guild was opening soon. He'd not expected Antoine to hold out his hand.

"I'll walk you through the process of getting a commission today, alright."

Sebastian swallowed, reluctantly taking the man's hand. "Um. Thanks."

"Presley called you Mint."

"Actually, my name is Sebastian. That…" Sebastian's mouth twisted slightly while he also avoided eye contact.

"Alright. I'll call you Sebastian then. See you when the guild opens up." Antoine walked in.

Sebastian sucked in a deep breath. Interacting with people for some reason always felt – he didn't have the right words for how he felt other than the feeling wasn't a pleasant one, at least most of the time. Every so often he glanced at his watch, which in turn allowed him to gauge when he could finally enter.

Antoine, which is overpowering pink hair, was waiting for him. "All right."

Sebastian froze.

"Let's start at the board and getting you a commission. You're only allowed to take one commission a day, but you're also only allowed to take one on at a time. There are exceptions for special commissions which will be announced via the mail or at town firesides, which are every Sunday at seven o'clock outside town hall. Sometimes others are announced at the mayor's discretion."

"Um, okay." Sebastian glanced away.

"Each commission has a time frame for completing the task but also has so many reputation points. I'll show you the board in a bit, but these commissions allow you to see how much money you'll make and the person who is making the request. Sometimes a person making a request will give you an item in addition, but you don't know when that will happen. So, go ahead and pick one, but make sure you don't bite off more than you can choose."

Sebastian took a deep breath. Making the shell necklaces, talisman and grinder weren't quite within the capabilities of his workshop yet. The other two tasks, the stone table, and the stone stool were tasks he could easily take on, but the stone table brought in more money. Without hesitating, he picked up the commission. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Antoine note which one he took.

The entire thing felt old school.

"Up this way."

Antoine took off towards the stairs. Glancing up, Sebastian remembered the upstairs was what Portia had in lieu of a library. His mouth opened, a brief remembrance bringing positive feelings into his brain. Soon, he found himself distracted by the workshop standings, of which he was at the bottom. This didn't surprise him.

"As you can see, currently your workshop is ranked at D. More importantly, we don't have commissions on the weekend." Antoine's words made Sebastian's eyes blink. "As for why, on the weekend we do inspections, but the workshops ranked C and above help out. That's actually it."

Sebastian looked at the ground, knowing what he needed to say. Somehow, he managed to say thank you which in turn allowed him to leave. He headed towards his workshop just outside of the front gate, his eyes focused on the ground.

"Mint."

Hearing the childhood nickname made him glance up. Swallowing, he saw Django wave him over. Swallowing, Sebastian headed towards the man. To say he felt nervous, that would be a true statement.

"I thought it was you."

Sebastian looked away. "I prefer Sebastian now."

"Oh. I'll try to remember that, though it may be a tad difficult given the fact I watched you grow up during your childhood." Django's voice – there was no mistaking the positive tone. Sebastian wondered if the man would still use such a positive tone if he knew just how much of a disappointment his life turned out to be. "You've also certainly grown. Didn't expect you to grow your hair out, particularly with how much of a mother hen Robin always was."

"She still is." Sebastian realized he now looked up at the man; he'd also said something negative about his own mother. He swallowed. "Sorry. I shouldn't talk about her like that."

"I think all of us have some kind of issue with our parents."

"Some more…" Sebastian shook his head. "Sorry. She…" He wondered if he should say anything. "Sorry. It's nothing. I'll see you later."

"Wait." Django's voice made Sebastian stop in his tracks. "She doesn't know you're here?" Sebastian's eyes closed. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell her. That said, I taught you and Arlo how to use the sword. The fact she doesn't know you're here, that should be something you should feel okay telling me."

He looked up at the man. "Things are complicated."

"That is quite understandable. When you're ready, feel free to stop by the Round Table. I'm an open ear, won't judge and may provide you with some advice if you need it. Also, my gaming hall is still open. I remember you used to enjoy spending time there."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sebastian somehow managed to look the man in the eye; he also for some reason felt at ease when he spoke to his old teacher. "Anyways, I'm off to work at the workshop."

A spark appeared in the man's eye. "Then it is true. You did open up the old workshop. I think you'll do well."

"I'm not so sure."

"Have more confidence in yourself."

"I'll try, sir." Despite the words coming out of his mouth due to the ease in which he felt he could speak with Django, trying felt a whole lot harder than Sebastian would personally like. He'd not felt in control of his emotions for a very long time.

Still, he moved into the first commission with ease, heading out to collect more marble. Doing something – that was a way he could deal with the lack of control he had over his emotions. On top of this, he enjoyed creating. Creating felt like a part of him, even if what he created wasn't a computer programming project, particular a video game.

Of course, here he didn't _have_ any video games. For now, that would be okay, yet in the back of his mind he knew another way he took control of his situation – the lack of control over his emotions – was by participating in video gaming. For now, that was okay as he had something else to distract him, yet in the back of his mind, he felt the tables turned out quite well.

That, in turn, meant he had to deliver them.

That, in turn, meant yet again interacting with people.

* * *


	12. Day Five - March 5 - Schooled

His mind refocusing on interacting with others wasn't a good thing. More specifically, Sebastian didn't want to think about how much time he spent overthinking the fact he didn't want to interact with anybody, let alone the reasons he didn't want to; he didn't want another awkward interaction, the one with Arlo weighing on his mind the most closely followed by the one with the mayor – his uncle – until his dark eyes caught sight of the partially eaten pumpkin pie in the small kitchen.

"Ugh."

A shudder ran down his spine remembering his two interactions with the person – young female – who introduced herself as Emily. Something felt a bit off regarding their interaction, yet he struggled in putting his finger on what that something was. The next wonderful thought crossing his mind was the idea of Maru easily figuring out what that something was. He swallowed, remembering his genius younger sister was – well, a genius at everything.

What made him finally decide to seek out the recipient of his commission was the realization that – on top of now knowing two people name Same – he now knew two people named Emily.

Shaking his head, he took a closer look at the actual commission, his mind contemplating the fact the name of the commission seemed familiar. The note regarding where he might deliver the item made the reason for the recognition click.

"Oh…"

Sebastian didn't hesitate, which surprised him slightly. The driving factor was likely the fact he wanted the commission over and one with. Hesitating would only prolong his suffering and prevent him from retreating into the solitary of the workshop and hopefully spending the rest of the weekend holed up where nobody could potentially bother him. Such thoughts made him think about how he might limit potential social interaction.

Entering any of the plaza meant high risk of attracting attention to himself, yet most of the places in Portia were within the city walls while the Storm Rider workshop was outside the walls. In the back of his mind, Sebastian pondered if he'd chosen wrong regarding the name, yet quickly refocused on getting to where he needed to go. Ultimately, avoiding the plaza was impossible for the task at hand.

He debated taking the path to the north of the town square – otherwise known as Peach Plaza yet going around defeated the purposefulness of getting the delivery done quickly so he might return to the safety of the workshop. Instead, the quickest path involved utilizing the park which in turn held the least amount of potential in running into someone, which in turn left the question of cutting straight across Peach Plaza or going around the edge.

The fact going around would take longer, yet possibly draw unwanted attention, not to mention someone from Portia stopping him to talk made him decide to cut across the plaza.

Of course, taking the park meant walking right in front of one of the local businesses – local business where the business owner might likely recognize him and attempt making small talk. The solution was pulling his hood over his head and shoving his hands into his pockets hoping he appeared non-descript as he passed by. For a brief moment as he passed by the shop, he glanced up, almost freezing when he thought the person who ran the shop spotted him.

Somehow, he managed to arrive at his destination leaving him hoping in the back of his mind he might proceed in going back home without incident. He also found himself looking up at the destination taking a deep breath, knowing full well some sort of social interaction would occur inside, yet looking at the building from the steps which led up to the front door and the tower which housed the school bell brought back memories.

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian walked up the steps and reached out so he might open the door. Entering into the school, he saw the familiar green tile with diamond pattern. The walls were still painted in the same sky blue albeit possibly a bit fadded, yet the model plane he put together with Arlo's help still hung from the ceiling. Sebastian let out another deep breath, before saying…

"Wow."

He spoke in a manner which sounded like a soft whisper, yet his focus quickly drew to the classroom. He swallowed, realizing he'd not factored into his thought process the fact school would still be in session. He pulled back his hood, swallowing nervously, stepping towards the doorway which led into the classroom. He hung back, not wanting to interrupt the lesson, yet a flood of memories – actual good ones flooded back.

"Just a minute class."

The sound of an adult voice drew him quickly out of the memories which quickly faded into the back of his mind. The teacher – a woman with short black hair – walked towards him, a smile on her face. His eyes drifted down to her hands which rubbed together knocking the chalk away from her fingers. "Mint. It's good to see you."

"Who's that Ms. Lucy?"

Sebastian found his attention drawn towards the child with blonde hair pulled into pigtails which in turn brought his attention towards the fact all five of the children were looking at him with eyes wide, making his throat tighten. Nervously, he lifted a hand to wave ever so slightly at the children.

"Oh, he's…"

"I have…" Sebastian let his hand lower quickly, his eyes darting towards the ground. He found himself reaching for the paper the commission was written on and handed her the paper. He found himself looking at the ground. He found himself saying, "Sorry."

"What for?"

"Interrupting class," he wanted to say, yet the words never left his mouth.

Instead, the girl with the blond hair became more insistent. "Ms. Lucy! Who is this Mint person?"

Sebastian's head darted up, his eyes widening. His mouth twisted slightly, his anxiety building ever so slightly. He watched Lucy turn and smile at her students much in the same manner she smiled at him when he was learning his school lessons. More importantly, he didn't know how he might act in the given situation and simply stood staring into the room.

"He's one of my former students. He's actually very smart and attended the University of Atara."

Turning his head, Sebastian barely noticed one of the other two girls – who looked very similar – perk up. His mind wandered, wishing desperately his primary school teacher hadn't brought up what he considered his own personal failure. "I'm actually not that smart. Maru is actually…"

"But you must be smart, to have gotten into the University of Atara."

Sebastian looked up, his eyes noting the two girls who looked similar actually wore their hair differently. Despite her words, Sebastian didn't feel intelligent at all, particularly not in comparison to Maru of all people. The thought did cross his mind briefly in that moment regarding the fact Demetrius – despite constantly bragging about Maru, never let her go away to university, particularly when _that_ ended up such a failure for Sebastian.

" _I don't want you to go away. Not when I think your mom and I could have prevented the whole mess if we'd not sent you away._ "

"Seriously. Not a genius like Maru is." Sebastian stared at the ground. The conversation headed in a direction he didn't want, yet he couldn't do anything about the occurrence.

"What is the university like? I want to go one day. Do you think I'm smart enough to get a scholarship there? Also, did you visit the museum while you were there? Why did you come back to Portia?"

"Polly…"

Sebastian's dark eyes blinked. He realized he found himself staring at the girl with the single ponytail. He didn't know when she'd moved from her desk, so she was now standing in front of him, her green eyes widening in excitement. Sebastian was definitely outside of his comfort zone. This Polly – yet another person he'd not planned on meeting – asked way to many questions about something he didn't want to talk about.

In fact, he wanted to retreat back into the workshop so he might hide from the world.

Thankfully, the school bell rang. Polly remained standing, waiting for Sebastian's answers while the other students headed through the doorway of the classroom. "Well? What was Atara like?"

"Polly."

The excitement faded from Polly's face, a sigh escaping from her lips. She headed through the doorway of the classroom and out the front door. Sebastian felt his shoulder muscles relax upon seeing her leave the school.

"Sorry about that."

Sebastian turned and looked at Lucy, wondering what his former primary instructor was apologizing for. The smile on her face confused him even more. He refocused his thoughts on the commission delivery.

"When I finish teaching for the day, I head over to Martha's Bakery. Care to join me for a cup of tea and a pastry, my treat? I've not seen you in a while so I'd like to catch up."

He didn't know how to respond. Not responding made him feel like an idiot, yet Sebastian couldn't gauge whether he looked like an idiot to Lucy.

"I could do all of the speaking if you want."

Sebastian worried saying no might be perceived as rude on his part, so he nodded his head, a verbal answer unmanageable.


	13. Day Five - March 5 - Another Awkward

Sebastian pulled the hood of his jacket back over his head. A thought briefly crossed his mind'; perhaps he shouldn't have lowered his hood so his former primary school teacher might not have recognized him. The thought left upon realizing Lucy would have recognized him regardless. Letting out a sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after her.

They soon arrived at the bakery, a shop which he didn't recollect from his last visit. He sat down at the table Lucy indicated he should sit at before watching her head over towards the small bakery. She came back and sat down, but not before she places a cup of tea with a pastry on the plate in front of him. She sat down and took a sip of her own tea while he turned the cup one way and then another on the plate.

"You don't like green tea anymore?"

"No."

"Anyways, that was Polly. She's smartest student at the school, but I suspect she'll end up going to the university like she wants one day, though she's not quite on the genius level you were at that age."

"I'm not…" Sebastian's fingers tightened around the handle of the teacup while he stared at the contents.

"… a genius like Maru is?"

His head darted up. Lucy took another sip of her tea. The corners of his house twisted into a grimace. "I said that out loud?"

"You did. You know getting into the university on your own merit is as Polly said no easy achievement, right?"

"Achievement?" Sebastian felt his throat tighten, almost snagging as he swallowed. There was definitely a time he thought like Polly, but now – what he did no longer felt like any major achievement.

"You don't think so?"

"Getting into the high school division of the university is a far cry from the actual main university."

"Given the fact it is actually harder to get into the high school division, others would likely say otherwise."

"Except I didn't even graduate, I think." The words came out of his mouth because he didn't think he could keep something his former primary school teacher could easily discover herself. The words also came out softly spoken, his shame – one of his shames – verbalized for someone else to hear. He swallowed, remembering Maru actually did graduate from the local high school everyone else who grew up in Stardew Valley attended.

"You think?"

"I didn't exactly pay attention to that kind of thing. I simply did the routine they wanted me to until…" Sebastian looked at the cooling tea. "Until I couldn't handle it anymore." His dark eyes closed. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Especially Arlo and Ginger?"

"Especially them." His eyes opened, another thought crossing his mind, one he needed to vocalize. "I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten until I stepped into the school that I actually once liked school. I liked it a lot. I'd like to say I'm not sure what happened, but I know all too well what did. My time in Atara – it wasn't pleasant."

"I won't pry then, but I'd still like to know what you've gotten up to since then."

"Nothing much." The way Lucy lifted an eyebrow made Sebastian rethink his answer. "I guess it's obvious regarding the workshop, isn't it?"

"Yes, but did you really do nothing between?"

"I do computer work, though that's a bit difficult here."

"Yes. We don't have any internet here." Lucy took another sip from her teacup. "The mayor does have plans regarding that. The plans are to make sure the businesses on both the plazas and main street are connected as well as the school."

Sebastian's stomach clenched. He felt guilty for preventing the school from getting internet and turned the cup again. Instead of speaking, he lifted the cup and finally took a drink, his mind attempting to avoid thinking of how he messed up on his first day there without having done anything. Turning his attention back towards the builder's contract distracted him from such thoughts.

"The delivery…"

"Ah, yes." Lucy held out her own satchel so the exchange might occur.  
Strangely, while Portia didn't yet have new world tech such as internet it did have access to old world tech such as the device which allowed the storage of large amounts of items in an inventory which could easily be accessed yet transported. Few if anybody used such tech in Stardew Valley; nobody used the transfer process.

The exchange happened and she wished him luck regarding the workshop. She also insisted he finish the tea and pastry before he left, which left him slowly eating the treat in silence; Lucy busied herself with grading papers. Eventually he finished and he took his leave, heading down main street. He planned on retreating into the workshop for the weekend.

The sight of something pink heading his way made him pause. Sebastian's eyes widened at the sight of the cat walking towards him. Without hesitation he greeted the creature, stooping down towards her level, the corners of his mouth twisting up. "Hello Pinky. Why aren't you in Uncle Gale's home?"

The cat looked up at him with bright eyes and said, "meow."

"Why is it I get along better with animals than I do people?"

"You do realize you said that out loud, right?"

Sebastian stiffened up. Slowly, he stood to his full height. Turning his head, he saw Sam – the Sam from this area looking at him, her eyes narrowed. "Oh. It's you."

"Yeah. You really don't get along with other people like you said, do you?"

"What do you want?" Sebastian watched Pinky walk away despite the fact he honestly wanted her to stay. He'd rather deal with her rather than _this_ Sam.

"Look kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"I don't like how you showing up here in Portia has Arlo all worked up."

"I see."

"No. You don't."

"I guess not."

"You guess…" Sam took a deep breath making Sebastian guess she was getting even more frustrated with him. "Look. I don't know _what_ your past with Arlo is, but leave him alone. I don't like seeing him like this – in a funk I mean."

"Oh."

"So, you'll leave him alone?"

"I…" Sebastian didn't need Sam suddenly getting in his face and poking him with one of her fingers for him to hesitate

"If you don't, I'll give you a serious thrashing even though I'm a member of the Civil Corps. Got it? No bothering Arlo."

Sebastian swallowed. Something regarding this action made Sam back down, almost as if she took his reaction as an affirmative answer. She left him standing there staring at nothing. Taking a deep breath, he thought to himself, " _Remember his letter. It said, 'if you don't want to talk, fine._ ' _Plus, the last thing you want is to be a bother to Arlo, so – I should have just said yes, but I'm an idiot._ "

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian started towards home – his home away from home. He didn't get far. The sight of another familiar face made him stop in his tracks. Gust was also a familiar face yet catching sight of him wouldn't have made him stop in his tracks despite the fact Sebastian honestly didn't want to interact with either of his cousins.

With Gust was Ginger.

Sebastian waited for his younger cousin and her brother to enter the Round Table before he started on his way. In the back of his mind, he hoped his uncle hadn't told Ginger he was in town. He brushed aside the thoughts so he might star heading back to the workshop again, regret and guilt wracking his brain. Arriving back at the workshop, he sat on the bed, burring his head in his arms, taking a deep breath to stay off the negative feelings.


	14. Day Six – March 6 – Unnoticed

Hearing nothing from Sebastian worried Sam; he still wondered if he overstepped by asking his friend about maintaining his med schedule. Sam knew Sebastian – as a private person – found revealing the fact he took medication for depression difficult. He didn't want to overstep again if he already had, waiting patiently for another message other than " _I'm okay._ "

Friday night, Sam headed towards Stardrop Saloon without Sebastian sending another message. Sam shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, hoping in the back of his mind Sebastian might join him in the game room for a game of pool even though his best friends hadn't done so since Abigail's pregnancy scare. Seeing nobody in the arcade, Sam flopped down onto the couches.

Letting out a sigh, Sam looked up at the ceiling waiting for Sebastian to show. The jukebox played in the background allowing Sam to zone out until he heard someone speak.

"Is Sebastian coming?"

Sam's eyes blinked upon hearing Abigail's voice. He slowly sat up, looking at her while his mouth twisted into a frown. She smiled as if nothing happen, or at least Sam thought so on his first observation. The slight twitch of the corner of her mouth indicated the pregnancy scare did, in fact, get to her, although she tried acting as if nothing happened. Sam's eyes blinked again.

"That's…" Sam almost snapped at her but instead sucked in a deep breath.

"Well?" Abigail's eyes pleaded with him. "Sebastian and you message each other, don't you?"

Sam took a deep breath, his hands still jammed into his pockets. Sebastian not showing now made sense given the fact Abigail typically sat on the couch watching them play pool. "I think he's avoiding you."

"That…" The smile on Abigail's face fell. "That's not fair."

"Not fair?" Sam's tone of voice rose slightly. "What you did – that's not fair to Sebastian."

He watched her swallow. "I don't know what you mean?"

Sam's eyes closed. He made the decision to stand up, letting out a sigh after he stood. "You don't think Sebastian would have told me _that_ of all things? Don't make me spell out for you by what I mean by _that_ as I really don't want to have this conversation right now. I'm worried enough about him as it is."

A shudder ran through his body followed by Sam letting out a breath of air. Getting _that_ off his chest made him feel better, if ever so slightly. Walking home, he felt frustrated Sebastian never showed, yet Sam couldn't blame his friend for not wanting to show up where Abigail might be. Arriving home, Sam flopped onto his bed looking up at the ceiling.

He realized things might not ever return to normal.

"This sucks." Reaching for his phone, Sam messaged Sebastian. " _Missed you tonight in the arcade. Don't blame you though given the fact Abigail was there. Looking forward to our jam session tomorrow. If you don't show, I'll be coming by to check on you. Yes, that is a threat._ "

Sebastian didn't show.

Sebastian didn't show _despite_ the fact Sam threatened his friend with a visit.

Letting out a deep breath, Sam left his room. He heard his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner. "Mom. I'm heading over to Sebastian's."

"What. Hold on."

He hoped he might escape before his mother got another word in.

"Sebastian isn't having dinner in your room like you two usually do?"

Sam stopped moving. "Sebastian wasn't even here. I'm going over because I've not seen him in a while."

"I didn't know."

Sam let out a sigh, not knowing how he should respond. Instead, he left and headed towards the lake.

**~PS~**

" _Give him some time. Then you can talk to him about having unprotected sex._ "

"I'm not looking forward to having that conversation with him." Robin shook her head, the conversation with Caroline and Jodi stuck in her head. The last time Sebastian opened up to her was now a faint memory. In fact, Sebastian didn't speak much and instead kept to himself, meaning she didn't know when she would end up having a conversation with him. Her anger also added fuel to the problem yet remained a reason why she'd avoided her son since the pregnancy scare with Abigail.

In the weeks since she'd also avoided going down into Sebastian's room each week for her usual cleaning. Sebastian disliked her cleaning routine, complaining about her not putting things back, so she suspected he enjoyed the lack of intrusion. Restarting the cleaning routine, she headed down the stairs; she planned on no longer avoiding having a conversation with Sebastian if he was in fact in his room.

Arriving downstairs, she found Sebastian nowhere in the basement.

In a way, she suspected this, having developed the routine of leaving an hour after Sebastian with Demetrius knowing full well when her son left on Friday's for the arcade. Relief washed over her knowing Sebastian wasn't still holing himself up, yet the ultimatum she'd given herself heading down the stairs felt manipulative on her part – a way to avoid conversing with Sebastian.

Robin cleaned the room, the entire time thinking everything might return to normal despite how she still felt regarding the situation.

She didn't expect Sam showing up the next day when Sebastian would normally leave the house for some fresh air and sunlight as he walked all the way to his best friend's house for whatever the two did over at Sam's place. Her eyes blinked a few times. Sam headed straight towards the stairs which led down into Sebastian's room, which in itself wasn't unusual given the fact Sam did come over at times.

She didn't expect Sam to come back upstairs with his usual smile missing. "Ms. Robin?"

Robin stepped from behind her counter, looking Sam in the eye. "Sam, is something wrong?"

"Sebastian's not in his room."

"I don't see why that's a problem. Doesn't that mean he's headed out to the mines for some spelunking like he sometimes does despite the fact he knows I don't like him doing that? I mean, the fact he went to the arcade with you last night means he's no longer holing himself up, doesn't it?"

Sam stared at her, his mouth opening wide. His eyes blinked, his throat clearing. "Uh. Ms. Robin. I didn't see Sebastian last night. In fact, I've not seen him since, well, the Saturday after you no what. That was only briefly."

Robin contemplated what Sam said carefully. Taking in a deep breath. "Wait, you're saying Sebastian _wasn't_ at the arcade with you last night."

"I thought you knew."

Her eyes closed. "No, I didn't know. I thought he was either in his room or following his normal routine." Her eyes opened, her mouth twisting slightly in frustration. "Could you do me a favor Sam? Could you send him a message saying I want to talk to him?"

"I…" Sam glanced away, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "That's just it. I've not really heard from Sebastian since Monday when he finally responded to another message I sent when this whole thing started saying he was okay. He's not responded to any of my messages since then, so I am a little worried."

"You mean to say Sebastian likely hasn't been in his room since Monday, but I, his mother didn't even notice?" Robin swallowed. Her throat tightened slightly. She watched the look of worry on Sam's face increase. "Sam…"

"I think…" Sam stammered out the words. "I think I should head home." He turned, meaning to leave, but stopped. He turned his head over his shoulder looking at her. "You'll tell me if you hear anything?"

"Yes. I will."

**~PS~**

" _I should have told her_ ," said one of the voices in Sam's head while the other replied with, " _telling her would be a betrayal of Seb's trust._ " Sam walked home quickly, the concern he felt growing. " _Please don't let you telling me you're okay be you telling me goodbye. That's not being okay._ " Sam's teeth ground together; his hands shoved into his pockets. "Shit." Glancing up, he saw Maru heading up the path. "Double shit."

"Well, that's not very nice."

"Uh…" Sam glanced down, unsure of what he should say to Sebastian's sister regarding Sebastian's disappearance. "I've got to go." Unfortunately, the voice in the back of his head piped up again. " _Tell her what you know. It's important._ " The other voice responding with, " _Seb would like Maru finding out even less._ " Sam's eyes closed. "Ugh. Not my day."

"I surmised that much from the way you responded to seeing me just now." Maru's words made Sam open his eyes so he might look at his best friend's younger sister in the eye. "Didn't you say you needed to go?"

" _Should I tell her?_ " Sam swallowed.

"Okay, what are you _not_ telling me?"

Sam swallowed again. Sebastian once warned him Maru inherited her mother's temperament. What he saw in front of him honestly reminded him of when he did see Robin lose her temperament. "Maybe you should talk to your mom."

"Really?" Maru folded her arms across her chest.

" _Should I tell her? Any of it?_ " Sam closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, look…"

"Just spit it out already!"

"Nobody's seen Sebastian since last Sunday."

"What do you mean nobodies seen him since last Sunday?"

"I mean nobodies seen him since last Sunday."

"You mean he ran away?"

"Ran…" Sam's eyes blinked, heading down the path muttering, "I need to get home" under his breath. All thoughts of telling Maru what he'd debated telling her – even Robin for that matter – disappeared. "Fuck. Everyone's going to make assumptions again."

He arrived home, finding his mother already finished dinner by the time he arrived. "Oh good. Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry. I think I'll just go to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Sam flopped onto his bed, looking up at the ceiling, wishing he knew what Sebastian was up to. Telling someone about Sebastian's med routine and the worries which went along with said knowledge still felt important, yet… " _How can I tell anyone what I'm worried about if they think he's simply run away? That's not like him. Not at all._ "


	15. Day Six – March 6 – Noticed

"What are you doing in our haunted house?"

Sebastian startled awake upon hearing the voice of a small child from nearby. His head tilted up towards the sound, swallowing upon seeing a pair of evil blue eyes with blond hair accompanying said evil. Said evil sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over him slightly watching him sleep. The sight of said evil made him pull away towards the other side of the bed

One hand reached out for nothing but air as he back peddled from the evil sitting on his bed. Grasping at the sheets didn't prevent Sebastian from falling, crashing into the floor hard. He felt a slight twinge in his shoulder area, wrist and him where he crashed down. "Fucking shit!"

"You're not supposed to curse in front of little kids, you know." Hearing the voice of a second child made Sebastian close his eyes, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. Reaching up, he pulled himself up and peeked over the edge of the bed at the two girls who somehow managed to find their way into the workshop. He narrowed his eyes at the two.

"Little kids aren't supposed to break into people's homes, you know." Sebastian's eyes widened, realizing he'd said those words out loud. "Uh…"

"You left the door unlocked."

"Ugh." Sebastian flopped onto the wooden floor, covering his eyes with a hand. Normally in a small town like Portia, people wouldn't barge into another person's place without asking, so he'd not thought about locking the front door. "Why me?"

"I don't know." He heard the evil move across the bed, her voice coming closer. "Why did you move into our haunted house?"

Sebastian let out a groan. His life kept getting messier and messier, much to his absolute disgust. Keeping his eyes closed, he willed the two girls away knowing full well they wouldn't disappear – like most of his mother problems – by simply willing it so. Eventually – he didn't know how much time passed – Sebastian sat up.

The evil which invaded his current home now lay on the bed on her stomach, kicking her feet in the air, her smile twisting with evil abandonment. A second person stood in the kitchen doorway with crumbs on her face. Sebastian carefully contemplated his current situation, his mind registering the second girl was the girl who looked like Polly. "There's only two of you."

"What do you mean?" The one he didn't know the name gave him a strange look he couldn't read.

"Yeah, what do you mean?"

"Where's Polly?"

"At the library. Where else would she be?" Dolly rolled onto her back. Sebastian let out a sigh of relief, realizing the third wasn't hiding somewhere in the kitchen or bathroom waiting to further complicate his life, yet in the back of his mind, Polly going to the library made more sense than her coming with her sisters with the purpose in mind of tormenting him.

The one which looked like Polly let out a laugh. "She might have come if she'd known Mint would be here!"

"Oh!" Dolly bolted into a sitting position, kicking her feet out. "Polly and Mint sitting in a tree…"

"Enough!" Sebastian clenched his hands at his side. He walked towards the kitchen while thinking of a way he might get the two out of the house without hurting them. Instead, his mind became distracted by the sight of the rest of the pumpkin pie Granny Sophie sent over, or the lack there of. Only the crust remained as the two girls ate the filling out of the pie, or at least the girl standing in the door way who he didn't know the name of. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the tin and showed her. "Really?"

Instead, she smirked at him, crumbs still on her face, though now he wasn't sure where the crumbs came from. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Taking a deep breath so he might control his temper, he headed over towards the front door, planning on opening the door up and asking the two to leave, yet he found himself stopping short upon seeing someone outside the door. His eyes blinked.

"Good morning." The Emily he met recently stood outside of the house with her hands tucked behind her back, a smile on her face. "I see you've finished the pumpkin pie I brought over."

"Uh… yes?"

"So…" Emily pressed her lips together. Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what she wanted. "So, I recently got a new craft recipe. It's for this planter, but I'm not sure how it will work out. Since you're a builder, I was wondering if you might build and test it out for me? I have the recipe along with some fertilizer and seeds for you to use."

"I…" Sebastian felt flustered, heat spreading across his cheeks as he wanted to say no, yet the thought saying no might come across as socially unacceptable made him not say what he wanted to say.

"Emily and Sebastian sitting…"

Emily's head tilted slightly so she might peer around his shoulder at the two girls. "What are Molly and Dolly doing here?"

Sebastian's lips pushed together, the heat spreading across his cheeks growing worse as Dolly continued singing, but now he knew the name of the third girl. The two girls who invaded his home dashed out of the place, yet he found himself unsure of whether he should find himself grateful – Dolly continued singing the song as she and Molly ran up the path towards town giggling.

He decided he wanted Emily gone, but the easiest way was to say yes – she wouldn't want an explanation regarding why he wasn't taking on the task. He glanced away nervously, wishing his day wasn't so – awful. Emily let out a laugh. "That's wonderful. Also, would you like to come and hang out with my friends this afternoon at the Round Table? We typically meet at two o'clock on Wednesday and Saturday every week."

"I…" He didn't feel how familiar she acted towards him. He wasn't sure how he got the next part out, his throat tightening as he did so. "Rain check."

"Oh. I guess you're still kind of busy getting settled in then." Emily took the pie tin from his hands. "See you later!"

Sebastian swallowed, his eyes closing, taking a deep breath, he shook his head and looked at the recipe book which was now in his inventory. He took a deep breath before heading out to the table, downloading the new information into the worktable systems, but looking over what he would need. Rubbing the back of his head, he knew he'd need to build a Civil Cutter, which would mean making the Grinder as well.

In fact, building the storage shed involved making the Grinder so he might make the part he wanted to make, but the process of making the part would mean adding his own programming his own recipe for the Grinder, something he couldn't do without his computer. Letting out a slight curse, Sebastian wondered why he'd even started the design knowing full well his computer was busted.

Of course, he wasn't sure where he might find the old parts. He would need to ask, but the Commerce Guild seemed like the best place.


	16. Day Six – March 6 – Social Anxiety

Reluctantly, Sebastian headed towards the commerce guild. Emotionally, he felt jittery from interacting with people so early in the morning, yet also unexpectedly. Despite the anxiety, he felt from the way the day started off from, he found himself in need of information. For a brief moment, he wondered why he even bothered, given the fact he didn't plan on staying there in Portia forever; at the moment he forgot _why_ he came to Portia in the first place, let alone why going home wasn't an option.

The bright sunlight made him squint, his skin wishing for rain instead. Instead, his skin soaked in the warm sunlight which felt strange, given the fact he didn't spend much time in the sun in the first place. Eventually, he arrived at the guild. Stepping into the place, he closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath upon feeling no more sunlight touching his skin. Taking another deep breath, he opened his eyes.

Antoine stood behind the counter up front, one eyebrow rising up upon seeing him. Presley sat at his own desk scribbling something out, yet his assistant spoke up. "Need something?"

"I – old parts. Where would I find them?"

"Where? In the Abandoned Ruins. There is of course a fee for going in, but you can find a lot of items, particularly ore."

"I see," Sebastian spoke in a rather slow manner, feeling stupid for not realizing on his own.

Antoine waved his hand. "Ah, don't feel bad. That's what we're here for, to help you, builders, out."

The corner of Sebastian's mouth shot up in an attempt to smile at Antoine; the man's words did nothing to make him feel better.

Worse. He felt worse.

Glancing down at the floor, Sebastian contemplated the next step, swallowing. One hand reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. He still felt overwhelmed.

"Mr. Mint!" The voice of a child made him pause, turning so he might see who spoke. Sebastian's mouth twisted into a half-smile which twitched upon seeing the missing part of the troublesome trio. Looking up at the library section of the guilt – the memory of spending hours up there when he was younger fluttering briefly in the back of his mind. Polly stood on her tiptoes waving at him in excitement.

Instinctively he waved back, his mind somehow knowing not doing so would come across as some kind of social faux pas.

He realized his mistake too late when Polly briefly disappeared, tearing down the stairs so her cheery face suddenly appeared right in front of him. Sebastian's entire body tensed up. His jaw dropped, his eyes widening upon seeing the small girl in front of him, her arms tucked behind her back. "How are you doing today?"

"Um, okay." Except he wasn't okay. He didn't feel like getting into details with the small spritely thing in front of him, yet her abundant energy felt like a major drain on his own.

"I didn't get to hear your answer to my questions about the time you spent at the University of Atara."

"I really don't have much to say about it." Sebastian felt his throat tighten, yet he held back on swallowing despite the fact doing so hurt his throat.

"But you got in, right?"

"It was just the high school program." He watched her eyes widen, obviously delighted at what he said. "What?"

"You are aware that it's harder to get into the high school program than it is to actually get into the actual university, right?" Hearing Antoine's voice speaks made him look up at the man with pink hair. He suddenly realized the man wore a purple suit, which honestly baffled his mind – even when he wore bright colors, he never would have thought of the color purple. He watched one of the man's eyebrows shoot up – pink, though he didn't know if this was done with makeup. "You really didn't know."

Sebastian glanced away, feeling rather uncomfortable which in turn meant he looked at Polly again, her eyes wide with excitement, her mouth twisted into a wide smile. His eyes blinked, his mouth opening again, knowing he really didn't want to discuss his time in Atara. He glanced away.

"Don't you have homework to work on, Polly?"

"Well, yes. Technically I've already fulfilled the requirements."

Sebastian's eyes blinked again, briefly looking at her, his mouth opening like a fish gasping for air. " _That means she's doing extra work for her assignments, much like I used to do._ "

"Well, Mr. Sebastian is headed to the abandoned ruins for a project he's working on, but you should call him Mr. Sebastian instead of Mr. Mint."

"Oh." His head turned so he might see the very small speaker. "Sorry. I'll try and remember that, Mr. Sebastian."

"I…" Sebastian continued staring down at the girl, wondering how he might bring up the fact she attached the honorific in front of his name – particularly his first name. " _Seriously. Sam's younger brother Vincent never did that, nor did his friend – although, I must admit said friend was rather shy whenever she came over._ "

"What are you working on?"

"Working on?"

"Now Polly, Mr. Sebastian is rather busy, so…"

"Apparently a small planter box for the farmer."

"Oh. You mean Ms. Emily. She's rather nice. She's rather pretty as well."

"Um." Sebastian's eyes blinked, feeling even more awkward.

"Shoo, shoo." Antoine waved his hand at the girl, yet Polly scooted away from them, heading back up the stairs. Sebastian's head followed. "Sorry about that. She's rather enthusiastic, although…"

The fact Antoine stopped speaking bothered him. "Although what?"

"It might have been better not to have indulged her. She's quite precocious. All three of them are in their own way if one really thinks about it hard enough."

"Yeah. I learned that the hard way this morning."

"Oh?"

"I'd rather not go into that."

"You're not a very talkative person."

"Sorry." Sebastian took a deep breath, wondering if he'd done anything socially unacceptable.

"Don't apologize."

He took a deep breath, but he spoke without looking Antoine in the eye. "I'd better head towards the abandoned ruins. Thanks for the info."

Stepping out, he felt the sun on his skin again while his eyes squinted against the bright light. Taking a deep breath, he headed home, quickly constructing a storage box for the items he didn't need. In the back of his mind, the more intricate storage unit remained in the back of his mind while he attempted reminding himself that his stay in Portia wouldn't belong.

Finishing the task, Sebastian wiped the sweat away from his brow before heading towards the abandoned ruins. His eyes widened upon seeing Remington standing there with his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. His eyes darted away, remembering how the man apparently knew he and Arlo knew each other.

"Hey."

"So, I was told the abandoned ruins were the place to find what I need. I'm guessing for a fee?"

"Spot on. The weekly fee for the first ruins area is two hundred, while the second is a hundred more, though the first time fee for the first one is only eighty for those who…" Remington stopped. "You appear rather bored with my explanation."

"Kind of." Sebastian looked away, wondering if he reacted in the wrong manner.

"Anyways, onto the fun details, jet pack, and relic detector provided."

Sebastian startled, turning his head towards the man. "Wait? Jet pack?"

"In case you get down so far while you're mining, but there is the potential to make your money back quickly." For a brief moment, Remington stopped speaking. "That said – what I really want to talk to you about is Arlo."

A deep sigh escaped from Sebastian's mouth, his eyes focusing on Remington. "I know, I know. I'm not to bother him." He watched the smile fade from Remington's face. "What?"

"What? Where did you get that idea from?" Remington placed a hand on his chin. "Well, that might explain why you claimed you didn't know Arlo the other day. That, or you were ticked off at him for some reason."

"I'm not angry with him." Sebastian glanced away, while the voice in his head said. " _Really? Aren't you upset with what he said in the letter._ " Another voice said, " _That's neither here nor there, isn't it._ "

"Then I really don't know why…"

"Please. I already told her I wouldn't bother him." He heard Remington sigh, which resulted in his head turning so he might look at the man, although he still avoided eye contact.

"You mean Sam."

"Yes." Sebastian glanced at the ground. "I didn't mean to put Arlo into a funk, so if I avoid him then…"

"Oh, good grief. Maybe the reason he's in a funk is because you _are_ avoiding him?"

"No. I don't think that's it."

"Why not?"

"Look, I don't know you, so…" Sebastian – despite not looking Remington in the eye – watched the man's eyes blink.

Remington lifted up a hand, the smile returning to his face. "Sorry. Overstepped on that one. Do have fun in the ruins."

"Yeah, I guess." Relief washed over him when Remington disappeared. He headed towards the abandoned ruins, paying the fee and collecting the gear. Taking a deep breath, he dove in, hoping he might find the old parts he needed. Every so often he wiped his brow, sweat dripping from his forehead despite not being out in the sun, yet he kept going until his limbs felt like lead – possibly not a smart thing, particularly when he did manage to find the old parts he looked for.

The activity left him feeling tired and hungry, yet in the back of his head, he felt the anxiety he felt the last few days melt away. Plans regarding what he would do next flooded his mind. " _Take a nice, hot shower after packing the materials into the storage. Figure out what to do with some of this relic stuff and weird discs that look like computer discs. Eat something and sleep. Wake up and…_ "

"Oh, hello."

Sebastian flinched, dread filling him at the thought of meeting yet another stranger. He turned, a shiver running down his spine upon seeing a definite stranger in front of him. A girl stood there, dressed in rather simple clothing of a light orange-brown color. Her brown hair hung down in a braid that came almost to her knees, yet she carried with her a book.

"I've not seen you around Portia before."

" _I've not seen you around Portia when I was here last._ " Sebastian's jaw dropped, recognizing something familiar about the girl in front of him.

"My name is Nora." She held out her hand.

"I…" Sebastian took her hand, knowing shaking hands was the proper thing to do despite the fact he really didn't want to. "Sebastian. My name's Sebastian."

"I'm a sister at the Church of Light which is up the hill. Actually, we'll be having a meeting tomorrow if you're interested."

Sebastian's mouth twitched while he attempted not to give away his discomfort. " _What the hell have I gotten myself into? She reminds me of that nutty chick from the Stardrop Saloon._ "

Making matters worse, another stranger soon joined them from the hill Sebastian faintly remembered led up to the church. The man also dressed in clothes of the same light orange-brown color as Nora, but his grey beard was trimmed nice and neatly. "Nora, have you made a new friend?"

" _First off, don't call a complete stranger a friend. Second, I've heard of this Church of the Light. There is something important I need to remember about them though that I can't_."

The man held out his hand. "I'm Lee. I'm the minister of the Church of the Light. You wouldn't have been exploring the ruins were you?"

"I saw Sebastian come out of there."

"You wouldn't happen to have found a data disc while in the ruins?"

He made the mistake of remembering then handing such an item to the man which quickly reminded him what the Church of the Light was all about as the man destroyed the data disc in front of him before proceeding in going into an anti-tech rant before asking him, "So, do you know how to plant crops?"

"Not really…"

"You should go and talk to Emily down at the farm. I'm sure she'll explain how. Actually, I can get her to stop by."

Sebastian tried smiling. " _She's assuming that I am living in Portia. Why?_ " Taking a deep breath, he asked. "How do you know that? I mean, the fact I'm not a tourist."

"Oh? That's because you're not staying at the apartments, although not everybody who stays there is a tourist. It's the only place to really stay unless you have your own place, but I haven't heard anything from Arlo about anyone new coming to the civil corps."

"Arlo?" Sebastian, glanced at the ground, his hands clenching at the sound of that particular name. He glanced away.

"Anyways, exchange those discs for seeds. Looking forward to seeing you later."

The two then left leaving Sebastian with his returned anxieties. Sebastian took a deep breath before taking a short cut past the café. He stopped short, seeing Pinky there. He leaned over, looking at the cat. "Seriously. Why are you out…" Ginger's face popped into his thoughts, his mind remembering her illness. "Oh. Yeah. Maybe that's why."

The cat rolled over onto it's back while sleeping, yet he knew better than to touch a sleeping animal. Taking a deep breath, he headed over the wall and started down the path towards his workshop, his chest tightening upon realizing he'd thought of his mother's workshop as his own as if he wasn't planning on returning to Stardew valley when he actually was.

Arriving back at the workshop, he started up the kiln so the device would make copper bars during the night while he was away before going in and getting into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the sticky sweat which coated his body. The heat soothed his sore muscles, but also somewhat washed the anxiety from socially interacting with others away, allowing him the ability to collapse into bed.


	17. Day Seven - March 7 - Another Poor Start

"Wake up sleepy head."

The overly chipper voice startled Sebastian awake again, his body crashing onto the ground in a painful tangled mess. Yet again he found himself staring up at the bright blue eyes and blond hair of a creature with a smile more evil than anything he currently could imagine. His eyes widened, his throat tightening reflexively. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"You know, that's something I figure you'd have figured out by now, given the fact we'd already said how yesterday."

Sebastian's eyes blinked, mentally thinking back to the traumatic events of the day before. The evil invader lay on her stomach on his bed much, in the same manner, she did the day before, kicking her feet in the air taking in the sight of him sprawled on the floor with great gleefulness, except he'd fallen onto the floor today on the side away from the kitchen, but he found himself jammed into the walking space between the bed and the wall.

"Okay. Let me give you a hint. I told you how Molly and I got in yesterday, didn't I Molly."

"You did. How come you don't have anything to eat?"

Sebastian let out a grown, sitting up and finding he still couldn't see clearly into the kitchen. "Why are you digging around in someone's cupboard without permission? In fact, why are you in someone's home without permission?"

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that the door was left unlocked."

His eyes narrowed, wishing the two girls would just disappear. He glanced down at the floor. "That doesn't mean you can…"

"Look," Molly spoke from wherever she was in the kitchen, or at least in the direction thereof. "We came in here all the time, but you had to go and patch up the holes which let us get in, so we had to come in through the front door."

"The fact I patched up the holes doesn't mean you get to use the front door."

"It's not our fault you leave it unlocked." Dolly continued giving him that evil stare.

"I shouldn't…" Sebastian took a deep breath, closing his eyes. " _Don't argue with a little girl. You know where that always got you with Maru, so just shut the hell up and lock your door at night like a responsible adult would even though we live out in a rural area where breaking and entry shouldn't be an issue._ _This way you can sleep in when you want._ "

An unexpected knock at the door resulted in Molly stating rather loudly in a manner which made Sebastian wince, "I'll get it!"

"Wait…" Sebastian let out a groan, pulling himself up from the ground just as the door flew open.

"Good morning!"

"Um…"

Sebastian's eyes closed, recognizing the voice as the voice of the girl who kept approaching him when he least expected anyone to do so. A groan escaped from his lips, but he flopped over backward, placing a hand over his eyes, muttering under his breath. "Can my day get any worse?"

"Wait. So they're not supposed to be here?"

Relief washed over Sebastian knowing Emily – despite the fact he simply didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression rather than making any lasting relationships – wasn't getting the wrong impression. Then, Dolly said, "Wait? What do you mean we're not supposed to be here? We're right where we're supposed to be."

"Yeah. It's not our fault he didn't leave the door unlocked. Plus, this was our place before he decided to go and repair the holes."

"So, this may just be me, but I don't think you two should be coming in here without Sebastian's permission."

Emily's words made a sigh leave his lungs, but his eyes opened up only to find himself looking up at evil incarnated, wishing she and her sister would just head out the door.

"His name's Mint."

"Where did you get that idea from?"

"Ms. Lucy." Dolly turned her head finally so her evil smile was now directed at Emily.

"Still, I think you two should go."

"But I want pie. There weren't any nice snacks as there was yesterday, and you brought another pie."

Sebastian pinched his nose and closed his eyes again. " _If these two weren't little girls…_ "

"You shouldn't eat other people's food without permission, but aren't you normally not getting in trouble like Dolly is? What's your mother going to say when she hears what the two of you have been up to?"

"Oh, please don't tell mom Emily. I promise I'll be good from now on."

"Well. Alright. I'll think about it if you'll head on out and take Dolly with you."

"Okay. Come on Dolly."

"Do we have to?" Dolly of course looked annoyed when he opened his eyes, yet thankfully she bounced off of his bed, but not before singing, "Emily and Mint sitting in a tree…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Sebastian sat up, blinking once. His head turned towards the sound of Emily's voice, yet he didn't see her face. Letting out a groan, he pulled himself up from the ground. She stood there, her head turned so she might watch Dolly dashing out after Molly, yet she stood there with a pie in her hands. She turned, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Um, you're not dressed like you were yesterday!"

He looked down, seeing he wore the tank and shorts he preferred sleeping in when he didn't simply collapse in bed from exhaustion or from one of his anxiety attacks. His hand reached out, tugging at the front of his shirt, slightly confused – then remembered, feeling calmed down slightly upon the two girls leaving. His eyes darted up. "I kind of just collapsed into bed the night before, so technically I'd…"

Realization hit.

"I… um, this is kind of awkward. I mean…" Sebastian stopped speaking, unsure of how to say he wasn't the one to invite her in; - Molly was.

"Okay. I'll just take this into the kitchen for you, but granny is glad you enjoyed the pie. I won't tell her Molly and Dolly ate it up."

"I did eat some." Sebastian watched her. She glanced back nervously as if worried she might catch sight of him changing while she was in the kitchen even though he planned on waiting until she left given the fact he felt uncomfortable changing in front of anyone. Doctor's visits were uncomfortable enough as it was. He sat there, waiting for her to finish, hoping she wasn't prying into anything " _I was disappointed it wasn't there for breakfast yesterday, those little imps._ "

"Oh, well, that's good." Emily came out, her mouth twisting slightly. Sebastian's eyes opened and closed, yet for some reason as a slight blush appeared on her face again, he felt as if she _hoped_ she might catch sight of him completely naked. The thought was honestly disconcerting. She glanced at the door. "I think I'll wait outside."

In the back of his mind, he still thought that particular disconcerting thought despite not knowing why he'd thought that, nor did he understand why she'd say she would wait outside. In fact, he didn't think she'd be there as he grabbed a cigarette, noting he would need to find some kind of dish to put ashes into, mentally noting he should possibly stop by the Round Table to see if there was anything of the sort there.

He froze upon leaving the workshop, his eyes glued on the farm girl. Mentally, he didn't understand why she'd stayed, yet he'd taken the time to eat a piece of the pie before going out. He stood there, looking at her – unsure of what he should say or do.

"I saw you had a computer."

"It doesn't work." He'd in fact finally tried pushing the power button having dreaded doing so for so many days. The thought left a sickening feeling in his stomach, yet thankfully the piece of pie didn't come up. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"Is that why you took so long?" Emily shuffled her feet, her movements honestly confusing him.

"Um…" Sebastian looked away, the blush which appeared on her face honestly confusing him.

Thankfully, she changed the subject, although he didn't feel right discussing _that_ either. "How come your computer doesn't work."

"Sam _antha_ broke it." He shouldn't have tacked on the last part to Sam's name in the manner he did, yet calling her just Sam felt wrong when she wasn't his Sam felt strange. He also felt ticked off regarding the fact she broke his laptop, nor could he replace any of the components.

"Oh, you shouldn't call Sam that. She's a major tomboy. I mean, I might look like one and she less so given the fact she does love the color pink, but she's more of the tomboy. I only wear this stuff because it's easier to do stuff on the farm. What about you? I mean, you did have a computer that worked at one point, right? And how did she bust it."

"I'd rather _not_ go into what happened. I do computer – did computer things, like computer programming."

"Well, I guess that would be hard even if your computer wasn't busted, given the fact, there is no internet out here."

He felt guilty for not showing up at the meeting even though he didn't know how he'd explain to Gale if he had – well, anything. He glanced away, the cigarette clutched in his hand. He wanted to light up, yet knew he shouldn't – not without permission from her even though she stood on his property.

"I'm actually surprised you have property out here."

"It's my mom's, although – she doesn't know I'm here."

"Did you do something wrong?"

Sebastian flinched. " _Did I do something wrong?_ " He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "It feels that way."

"Okay, something you'd rather not talk about. Anyways, I was just wanting to stop by and let you know that you're invited to the Round Table with my friends and me. We meet up there on Wednesdays and Saturdays around two o'clock." Emily fidgeted slightly. "So, um what are you doing today."

"Um, checking my mail?" He could clearly see the flag of the mailbox up.

She turned her head so she might look at him, the blush appearing again. "You smoke?

"Um…" Sebastian's eyes drifted towards the ground.

"That's rather cool."

"I'm not cool."

"I guess you're holding off because I'm here?" She stated what he felt was obvious, but then said. "Well, I guess I'll let you get to your mail, but I'm also guessing your other projects. See you later."

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, glad she didn't try being even more friendly with him.


	18. Day Seven - March 7 - Gale Before the Storm

Emily leaving didn’t put Sebastian at ease so he might smoke despite the fact he desperately needed the smoke after his interaction with the two girls who snuck into the place. He muttered under his breath, “Fuck. I can’t actually think of what the shit I was planning on doing today. I certainly hadn’t planned on being up this early, given the guild isn’t actually open right now.”

Finally, he slipped the cigarette back into the box, unable to light up, and instead headed to the mailbox to see if anything was there, not that he suspected anything to be there. The front clunked down with a resounding sound while his eyes took in the couple of envelops he’d not actually suspected to find in his mailbox given the fact only one person back in Stardew Valley, no – two as Demetrius entrusted Wally in getting him where he was going just a week ago.

Fingering the envelopes, he looked at the one on the top, taking in the free copy of the local newsletter. In the back of his mind, he didn’t remember there being a local paper, yet wondered if there was anything actually worth reporting regarding what went on in Portia. Curiosity got the better of him, but he found himself wincing at how everything was done by hand including the pictures—which honestly weren’t that great.

Then there was the actual content of the newsletter, which made Sebastian’s stomach clench. On the front page was an article involving Arlo putting some kind of rumor to rest which in turn made Sebastian crumple the newsletter in frustration rather than reading it, yet he felt guilty for doing so, particularly since he did this because he felt so frustrated with the letter Arlo left with the plate of food his second night back in Portia.

Looking at the other letter, he found the said letter addressed by his Uncle Gale. Sebastian’s dark eyes blinked, his fingers opening the letter, his curiosity yet again getting the better of him. Opening the letter, Sebastian found himself letting out a sigh reading the contents.

_To my adorable nephew Mint,_

_Please come to City Hall ASAP. I believe that’s the word kids your age use for as soon as possible. I’d like to talk to you._

_Your Uncle Gale_

Panic settled into the back of Sebastian’s mind, wondering if his uncle found out about _who_ the person who was supposed to show up at the interview the other day was him. The thought of the man being disappointed in him made his stomach clench even more, yet—“ _If I don’t go to City Hall then he’ll certainly come here. I can’t hide_. _”_

“I guess I’m going and seeing him.” Instead of heading straight for City Hall, Sebastian instead headed back into the workshop, setting the letters down onto the counter, eating a slice of pie, noting he probably should eventually eat something other than just pie, although, as the one girl pointed out there really wasn’t any nice snacks in what Demetrius packed, but then again, the two girls might have eaten all of them, so fixing his own dinner…

A groan escaped his mouth as he realized Gale might actually be interested in getting him to come over for dinner, which meant dealing with both Ginger and Gust. The prospect didn’t feel at all appealing, what with how nervous he felt regarding seeing Ginger after so much time, not to mention her illness. Then, there was the fact Gust really didn’t like him, never had.

Taking a deep breath, he headed towards the City Hall, planning on getting the social engagement over with, yet he didn’t stop and think about others watching him go across Peach Plaza. As such, Sebastian didn’t notice the two boys running in front of him until they were right in front, making him stop in his tracks, relieved they didn’t try talking to him like the girls did. Watching them head towards the graveyard, he found himself muttering under his breath. “Memories.”

Sebastian continued towards the City Hall, opening up the door and seeing his uncle there, his usual sunny self-permeating the place, making the corner of Sebastian’s mouth twists up slightly. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, yes I did. I see you got my letter.”

“That…” Sebastian wondered if not getting the letter was possible, yet said nothing more regarding the matter.

“Anyways, things have been changing in Portia in case you haven’t noticed, such as us building up the infrastructure with internet connections and such.”

Sebastian of course felt guilty, knowing full well the addition of internet was on hold due to him not showing up for the interview. He swallowed, wondering if Gale suspected anything.

“Anyways, that is neither here nor there.”

Sebastian’s eyes closed, knowing full well his uncle wasn’t the type of person to play mind games.

“My thought is that since things have changed, and you’re a new builder here you may want to get to know some of the other businesses and meet the shop owners. I’ve actually a list of the various shop owners for you to visit.”

“I, uh…” Sebastian found himself dreading what Gale suggested; he was not a people person, but his hands shifted into his pockets, his fingers fidgeting ever so slightly while he looked at his uncle uncomfortably, hoping his level of discomfort didn’t’ show through. Nobody knew about his issues outside his former teacher finding out he’d not graduated, but he’d rather nothing else ended up exposed.

Particularly to someone he did in fact admire.

Gale glanced up, his eyes focusing in on Sebastian. “Oh. You won’t necessarily know where each of these shops is, right? Let me draw you a map. No, let me note where you’ll find each of the shops, though you also might be able to meet up with some of them at the Fireside meeting that happens every Sunday, typically running from seven to nine o’clock in front of the City Hall.”

“Oh.” Sebastian felt so out of place, what with being the only unsociable person in the family. Of course, there was Gust with his own kind of being sociable which was a completely different story, yet perhaps in line with the expectations of their grandparents who retired to Atara. Yet, his hand shot up, taking the paper, knowing full well his uncle was someone he honestly couldn’t say no to. “I guess I’d better get busy.”

“Oh, and I know Arlo is busy, but I’m sure he would like to see you. Ginger as well.”

Sebastian’s eyes blinked, looking at his uncle in the eye. Arlo definitely didn’t want to see him. He watched Gale hold up his hands.

“I know, I know. You and Gust don’t get along, so I’ll not push the issue of coming and having dinner with us, but you should stop by and see Ginger.”

“Yeah…” Sebastian glanced at the ground. “No promises.”

“And Arlo, when he’s not on patrol he’s up—”

“—at the Civil Corps. I know.”

“Anyways, I hope this helps you out.”

“You aren’t…” Sebastian cleared his throat, looking the man in the eye nervously. “You aren’t…”

“Playing favorites? I don’t think so. The other builders, they have lived in Portia for a long time before they started their workshops, so they had a chance to get and know the local businesses. The exception was Builder Wang, but I insisted he go and get to know his neighbors. I kind of did it when he was naming his workshop, now that I think of it, so that might be why he choose the name Neighbor Wang. I even gave him a list.”

“Okay.” Still, Sebastian didn’t feel so inclined to go and visit anyone.

“Plus, I let them know you’d be coming by,” Gale said excitedly.

“Yeah.” Sebastian’s mouth twitched, hoping he didn’t at all come across as he felt. “ _Of course he would. This is Uncle Gale, He is far more optimistically minded than even Sam_.”

“I think that’s about it, that I need to tell you.”

“Thanks.” Though, Sebastian wasn’t sure if he really should be thankful. Looking at the list, he noticed that most of the shops were in the Central Plaza area, while the Round Table was on the way. The farm, ranch, and tree farm were on the outskirts, which meant a very long walk for the day. One of the businesses, however, was in fact located in the plaza. Taking a deep breath, he headed over to the business called A&G Construction, but when he stepped in, he found himself looking down at… a pig.

“Oh. It’s you,” said an all too familiar voice Sebastian didn’t want to hear at that point, making him regret he’d chosen this as his first stop for the day.


End file.
